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 ii6 Bird - Lore viiicetl of tlu' advantage of such vt)ik. I'lie results wliitli Mr. Sperry has at- tained are no less interesting than his nu'tliods. It is now about seen years since the plan was put in operation, but only a small part of this period liati elapsed be- fore the effects of the experiment began to be apparent. As would be expected, the birds soon became very abundant on the preserve, f>ut it is by the effect on the number of birds in the surrounding coun- try that the practical utility of the work must lie judged, as no shooting is allowed on the preserve itself. The best evidence on this point is the opinion of the people living in the vicinity. With them the pre- serve is decidedly in favor; in no case has any land-owner withdrawn from the agree- ment, though it is a purely voluntary one, which can l)e broken off at any time. On the contrary, another person has recently become a party to it, thus increasing the original area. The birds have increased to such an extent that they have spread to the surrounding country, and now furnish good shooting on lands where there were very few birds when the preserve was started, and as a method of stocking a region with game this plan has proved vastly more suc- cessful than the usual one of liberating birds on lands where they receive no special food or protection, and are shot as soon as the open season comes, if not before. It is believed that the preserve has been far more liberally stocked with the western Quail than was necessary, and that even a smaller outlay would have been rewarded with almost as nuicli success. It was, how- ever, Mr. Sperry's purpose to give his plan a thorough trial and to err on the side of liberality rather than in the other (iirection. It is hoped that the Hampton preserve will not remain tlie only one of its kind. Though it is perfectly feasible to carry out such a plan under existing laws, it is evident that a law insuring their greater permanence, by making the agreement of the land-owners more binding when once entered into, and providing special means and penalties to safeguard the game, would encourage and help those who wish to start similar preserves. A bill of this kind will be presented to the ConnecticLit Legislature, and as it will apply only to the lands of those who voluntarily enter into the contract, it is difiicult to see what arguments can be brought up against its passage. In conclusion, it may lie pointed out that game protection by means of preserves is applicable to birds of many more kinds than is generally supposed. A few pre- serves comprising some of the marshes or beaches along the coast, or some of the ponds or swamps in inland districts, which would furnish safe resorts and feeding grounds for the various water birds during the migrations, and during the breeding season for such as would remain and breed, would help to preserve birds which the state game laws have never projierly cared for, and would induce the birds to visit re- gions which they have to a great extent deserted on account of the constant perse- cution they suffer. One reason for the apathy and indiffer- ence with which most people regard the ex- termination of the birds, is the widespread belief that it is an inevitable result of the progress of civilization. There is no greater fallacy. A few of our birds cannot adapt themselves to life in a thickly settled and cultivated country, but this list is a short one. Most of them, including most of the game birds and water birds, could and would, if they were given a chance, adapt their mode of life to the changed conditions due to man's occupation of the country. They are disappearing through our fault and neglect and for no other reasons. There are few more promising ways of making amends for our past mistakes than by the establishment of such preserves as the one just described. Often no greater difficulties would be encountered than in the case of the Hampton preserve if some- one could be found to take the initiative. WiLLARD G. Van Name. Neiv Ha'ven, Conn. Note. — We are glad to receive the an- nual reports of the Audubon Societies of Kentucky and Florida, which will appear in the next issue.