. Bird lore . HEATH HEN BOOMINGEnlarged and retouched (352) The Present Status of the Heath Hen 353 In the summer of iqio and winter of iqio and 1911 there was a notabledecrease in the birds. Numerous skeletons were found, some plainly indica-ting the work of Hawks, others of cats, and some were without obvious clueto the source of their destruction, so that in June, 1911, probably not more. STROKING A SITTING HEATH HEN than one hundred and fifty birds were in existence. Since then, however, theincrease has been rapid. In 1912, there were estimated three hundred birds,and at present the number
. Bird lore . HEATH HEN BOOMINGEnlarged and retouched (352) The Present Status of the Heath Hen 353 In the summer of iqio and winter of iqio and 1911 there was a notabledecrease in the birds. Numerous skeletons were found, some plainly indica-ting the work of Hawks, others of cats, and some were without obvious clueto the source of their destruction, so that in June, 1911, probably not more. STROKING A SITTING HEATH HEN than one hundred and fifty birds were in existence. Since then, however, theincrease has been rapid. In 1912, there were estimated three hundred birds,and at present the number is probably between four and five hundred. Theyare found over a wider area and in larger numbers than for a generation. The work on Marthas Vineyard was undertaken under very inauspiciouscircumstances. The birds were too far reduced to secure immediate andrapid increase. Stray cats from summer resorts three miles away, are a per-sistent menace, and their destruction can be accomplished only with the com-ing of the snow, when tracking and trapping become relatively easy. Prob-ably as a result of forest fires, as will be indicated later, the number of malebirds is largely in excess of the hens. From observations, April, 1910, we believethat there were approximately ten males to every hen. On this account, thebreeding increase has been relatively slow. However, the results have beensuf
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectbirds, booksubjectorn
