. . reand Hampshire, report as follows: increasing, six; decreasing,thirty. Most of the reports come from the coast counties,and five of the six recording increase come from those coun-ties; but the great majority of reports indicate that a consid-erable decrease in the species in Massachusetts has occurredwithin the thirty years prior to 1909, and that it is becomingrare except in localities on or near the coast and on the Con-necticut River. Mr. Alfred S. Swan states that at North Eastham thebird is practically gone, gunned to deat
. . reand Hampshire, report as follows: increasing, six; decreasing,thirty. Most of the reports come from the coast counties,and five of the six recording increase come from those coun-ties; but the great majority of reports indicate that a consid-erable decrease in the species in Massachusetts has occurredwithin the thirty years prior to 1909, and that it is becomingrare except in localities on or near the coast and on the Con-necticut River. Mr. Alfred S. Swan states that at North Eastham thebird is practically gone, gunned to death. He is told thatforty years ago it was abundant. Rev. E. E. Phillips has but 104 GAME BIRDS. WILD-FOWL AND SHORE BIRDS. one record in Icn years, — a bird killed at Eastham in Vinal B. Edwards of Woods Hole says that one waskilled in 187o and none have been seen since. Mr. Robert O.^Morris of Springfield says that in the antumn of 1892 thePintail was the most numerous Duck on the ConnecticutRiver near Springfield. Mr. Israel R. Sheldon of Pawtuxet,. Female. R. I., states that it has been seen in small flocks near Narra-gansett Bay, and he thinks that it is increasing. Mr. CharlesW. Hallett records flights of Pintails at Barnstable in 1907 and1908. Mr. Benjamin F. Howell of Troy Hills, N. J., writesthat Pintails began breeding on the meadows in his vicinityin the year 1908 after spring shooting was stopped there. This bird feeds mainly near the surface, as it is not anexpert diver. It flies very swiftly, and is capable of manytricks to upset the calculations of the hunter. In case of analarm among a flock when settling to the decoys, the individ-uals spring high in air so suddenly that the hunter oftenmisses his chance or shoots below them. Elliot tells of aperformance given by the males in spring that resembles thedrumming of the Snipe. As the lakes and rivers of the interior freeze, the Pintailmoves on southward. Its principal breeding grounds liebetween North Dako
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