Our Vanishing Wild Life Part 11

PENNSYLVANIA:

Virginia partridge and woodc.o.c.k.--(Arthur Chapman.)

Wood-duck, least bittern, phalarope, woodc.o.c.k, duck hawk and barn swallow.--(Dr. Chas. B. Penrose.)

Wild turkey; also various transient and straggling water birds.--(Witmer Stone.)

RHODE ISLAND:

Wood-duck, knot, greater yellow-legs, upland plover, golden plover, piping plover, great horned owl.--(Harry S. Hathaway, South Auburn.)

SOUTH CAROLINA:

Wood duck, abundant 6 years ago, now almost gone. Wild turkey (abundant up to 1898); woodc.o.c.k, upland plover, Hudsonian curlew, Carolina rail, Virginia rail, clapper rail and coot. Black bear verging on extinction, opossum dwindling rapidly.--(James H. Rice Jr., Summerville.)

SOUTH DAKOTA:

Prairie chicken and quail are most likely to become extinct in the near future.--(W.F. Bancroft, Watertown.)

TEXAS:

Wild turkey and prairie chickens.--(J.D. c.o.x, Austin.)

Plover, all species; curlew, cardinal, road-runner, woodc.o.c.k, wood-duck, canvas-back, cranes, all the herons; wild turkey; quail, all varieties; prairie chicken and Texas guan.--(Capt. M.B. Davis, Waco.)

Curlew, very rare; plover, very rare; antelope. (Answer applies to the Panhandle of Texas.--Chas. Goodnight.)

Everything [is threatened with extinction] save the dove, which is a migrating bird. Antelope nearly all gone.--(Col. O.C. Guessaz, San Antonio.)

UTAH:

Our wild birds are well protected, and there are none that are threatened with extinction. They are increasing.--(Fred. W. Chambers, State Game Warden, Salt Lake City.)

VERMONT:

If all states afforded as good protection as does Vermont, none; but migrating birds like woodc.o.c.k are now threatened.--(John W. Tilcomb, State Game Warden, Lyndonville.)

VIRGINIA:

Pheasants (ruffed grouse), wild turkey and other game birds are nearly extinct. A few bears remain, and deer in small numbers in remote sections. In fact, all animals show great reduction in numbers, owing to cutting down forests, and constant gunning.--(L.T. Christian, Richmond.)

WEST VIRGINIA:

Wood-duck, wild turkey, northern raven, d.i.c.kcissel.--(Rev. Earle A.

Brooks, Weston.)

Wild turkeys are very scarce, also ducks. Doves, once numerous, now almost _nil_. Eagles, except a few in remote fastnesses. Many native song-birds are retreating before the English sparrow.--(William Perry Brown, Glenville.)

Wood-duck and wild turkey.--(J.A. Viquesney, Belington.)

WISCONSIN:

Double-crested cormorant, upland plover, white pelican, long-billed curlew, lesser snow goose, Hudsonian curlew, sandhill crane, golden plover, woodc.o.c.k, dowitcher and long-billed duck; spruce grouse, knot, prairie sharp-tailed grouse, marbled G.o.dwit and bald eagle. All these, formerly abundant, must now be called rare in Wisconsin.--(Prof. George E. Wagner, Madison.)

Common tern, knot, American white pelican, Hudsonian G.o.dwit, trumpeter swan, long-billed curlew, snowy heron, Hudsonian curlew, American avocet, prairie sharp-tailed grouse, dowitcher, pa.s.senger pigeon.

Long-billed dowitcher and northern hairy woodp.e.c.k.e.r.--(Henry L. Ward, Milwaukee Public Museum.)

Wood-duck, ruddy duck, black mallard, grebe or h.e.l.l-diver, tern and woodc.o.c.k.--(Fred. Gerhardt, Madison.)

WYOMING:

Sage grouse and sharp-tailed grouse are becoming extinct, both in Wyoming and North Dakota. Sheridan and Johnson Counties (Wyoming) have sage grouse protected until 1915. The miners (mostly foreigners) are out after rabbits at all seasons. To them everything that flies, walks or swims, large enough to be seen, is a "rabbit." They are even worse than the average sheep-herder, as he will seldom kill a bird brooding her young, but to one of those men, a wren or creeper looks like a turkey.

Antelope, mountain sheep and grizzly bears are _going_, fast! The moose season opens in 1915, for a 30 days open season, then close season until 1920.--(Howard Eaton, Wolf.)

Sage grouse, blue grouse, curlew, sandhill crane, porcupine practically extinct; wolverine and pine marten nearly all gone.--(S.N. Leek, Jackson's Hole.)

CANADA

ALBERTA:

Swainson's buzzard and sandhill crane are now practically extinct. Elk and antelope will soon be as extinct as the buffalo.--(Arthur G.

Wooley-Dod, Calgary.)

BRITISH COLUMBIA:

Wild fowl are in the greatest danger in the southern part of the Province, especially the wood-duck. Otherwise birds are increasing rather than otherwise, especially the small non-game birds. The sea otter is almost extinct.--(A. Bryan Williams, Provincial Game Warden, Vancouver.)

MANITOBA:

Whooping crane, wood-duck and golden plover. Other species begin to show a marked increase, due to our stringent protective measures. For example, the pinnated grouse and sharp-tailed grouse are more plentiful than in 15 years. p.r.o.ng-horned antelope and wolf are threatened with extinction.--(J.P. Turner, Winnipeg.)

The game birds indigenous to this Province are fairly plentiful. Though the prairie chicken was very scarce some few years ago, these birds have become very plentiful again, owing to the strict enforcement of our present "Game Act." The elk are in danger of becoming extinct if they are not stringently guarded. Beaver and otter were almost extinct some few years ago, but are now on the increase, owing to a strict enforcement of the "Game Act."--(Charles Barber, Winnipeg.)

NEW BRUNSWICK:

Partridge, plover and woodc.o.c.k. Moose and deer are getting more plentiful every year.--(W.W. Gerard, St. John.)

NOVA SCOTIA:

The Canada grouse may possibly become extinct in Nova Scotia, unless the protection it now enjoys can save it. The American golden plover, which formerly came in immense flocks, is now very rare. Snowflakes are very much less common than formerly, but I think this is because our winters are now usually much less severe. The caribou is almost extinct on the mainland of Nova Scotia, but is still found in North Cape Breton Island.

The wolf has become excessively rare, but as it is found in New Brunswick, it may occur here at any time again. The beaver had been threatened with extinction; but since being protected, it has multiplied, and is now on a fairly safe footing again.--(Curator of Museum, Halifax.)

ONTARIO:

Quail are getting scarce.--(E. Tinsley, Toronto.)