PUBLIC DOCUMENT No. 25. 69 



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The Norfolk game farm was practically started on June 20, 

 1912, when Supt. Henry K. Gates took active control of the 

 propagation of birds. The first location, in an unused garage 

 on the grounds in the rear of the residence of the assistant 

 physician, w r as only tentative. The equipment at the station 

 when taken in charge by Superintendent Gates consisted of 

 only 12 pheasant pens containing temporary nests. At the 

 present time these difficulties have been surmounted by the 

 erection of a sufficient number of pens and yards, equipped 

 with proper hatching facilities. 



Pheasant. 



For the first time since 1907 an open season on pheasants was 

 granted by the Legislature in 1914, and farmers were given the 

 privilege of shooting birds found damaging crops, provided that 

 they made a written report within twenty-four hours to the 

 department of fisheries and game. According to law the com- 

 missioners declared an open season on pheasants in seven coun- 

 ties. The birds, protected for so long a time, had become tame, 

 people even feeding them in their yards. At the opening of the 

 season the action of certain hunters in shooting pheasants near 

 houses rather than going into the woods for the wilder birds 

 caused considerable hard feeling, which resulted in a violent 

 newspaper agitation against the commissioners for declaring an 

 open season. Owing to the danger of forest fires from lack of 

 rain the Governor declared a closed season for three days, from 

 October 14 to 17. On Oct. 31, 1914, a public hearing was 

 given by the Governor at the State House, at which arguments 

 for and against an open season were advanced by many hunters 

 and other citizens. 



The results of the open season are shown in the following 

 table, compiled from the returns of the hunters as required by 

 law. Undoubtedly many pheasants were killed for which no 

 returns were made, but the comparison between the counties 

 and the different days are valuable. The large number, 2,034, 

 killed the first day is due to the fact that October 12 was a 

 holiday, and to the tameness of the birds after years of im- 

 munity. The returns for the subsequent days show the in- 

 creasing wildness of the birds. 



