The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-08-09
BIRDS LESS NUMEROUS.
But Massachusetts Is Going We'll in
 Raising Game.

Edward Howe Forbush, state orni- thologist of Massachusetts, writes as follows:
 There is a general and widespread complaint throughout a large part of Massachusetts that birds have de- creased In numbers this year. Amy such scarcity of birds is likely to be made up to some extent because of the development of large broods of young. The favorable weather of last June and July has given the young birds chance to mature and most of them are large and strong enough now to withstand adverse conditions. notwithstanding the bad weather of the early spring the young of the game Dlrds nave done particularly we'll and there Is promise of a good increase II the laws protecting them are ob- served.
 The purple martins which were al- most exterminated by cold storms in June. 1903, are beginning to increase a little, but they find it very difficult to regain footho1d. Few martin Doxes are now put up compared with the numbers in use fifty years ago. ana those now provided for the birds are mostly occupied by English spar rows or other birds before the mar tins appear in the spring.
 It is a well known fact that some old martins return each spring about the 18th of April to the boxes they formerly occupied, but the young birds of the previous year often do not be- gin breeding until late in May or in June. Hence, people who wish to get martins must depend on young birds for their tenants and must keep spar rows and other birds out. of their mar tin boxes by closing the entrances or else postpone putting up boxes un- til the martins appear.
 Martins are not only beautiful and graceful birds with pleasing notes, but they are exceedingly useful, as they toes. J. Warren Jacobs of Waynes- burg, Pa, found quantities of the in- digestible parts of fruit tree bark bee ties in his martin boxes. These bee ties are very destructive to fruit trees and there is no good remedy for them. It is worth while for any one having home in the country, to make an eff fort to secure colony of martins dur ing the coming year.
 It Is encouraging to note progress Tn the propagation of game birds in Massachusetts. The National Game Protective & Propagation Society is now rearing large number of pheas- game reservation in Plymouth coun- ty; but the most interesting and promising part of the work consists of a series of breeding experiments with ruff1ed grouse, bobwhite, wild turkeys, wood ducks and black ducks The results of the experiments will be watched with keen interest by all who believe in a future for these splendid American game birds, at least two species of which are nearing extinc- ton.
 The Massachusetts commissioners .on fisheries and game have their various game farms in full operation and pr. George ". Field states that they can now number the young birds by the thousand. The greatest success with native game birds, has been attained with the bobwhite, hundreds of which are now being reared by the commits sion. Thus far the work with the ruffed grouse and wild turkey is ex- perimental. Undoubtedly these birds will have to be reared in localities uncontaminated by poultry or pheas- ants or by the English sparrows, a great .carrierS of poultry diseases. -si :