WESTERN QUAILS BEING EXTERMINATED 



BY DR. R. W. SHUFELDT, C.M.Z.S. 



(Illustrations from Life by the Author) 



HERE is no 

 extermination 

 coiinti_\, than 

 for it by or- 

 nithological collec- 

 tors from year to 

 year, \v hen the 

 skins of any spe- 

 cies are offered for 

 sale to museums, 

 taxidermists a n d 

 others. In 1830 the 

 Great Auks were 

 being cut up by the 

 hundreds for bait 

 by the fishermen, 

 who frequented the 

 fishing banks about 

 the motith of the 

 St. Lawrence 

 river ; to-day, a sin- 

 gle skin of that 

 bird probably could 

 not be purchased 

 for a less sum than 

 one thousand dol- 

 lars. When Alex- 



jetier evidence of the approaching 

 of any wild bird in nature, in any 

 the increase of the price demanded 



THE PLUMED QUAIL 



This handsome bird is found in Oregon, California and Western Nevada. It is a slaty-gray 

 bird, overtoned with olive brown. It has l^lack and olive feathers on the sides and is otherwise 

 charmingly colored. 



andcr Wilson wrote his American Ornithology, the Caro- 

 lina Parroquet occurred in nearly every State east of 

 the Mississippi, and its skin could be bought for a trifle; 



whereas now, as 

 the result of eter- 

 nal persecution and 

 wanton slaughter, 

 this species exists 

 only in certain re- 

 stricted sections of 

 Florida, and its 

 skin cannot be 

 purchased for less 

 than ten or fifteen 

 dollars. In a few 

 years it will bring 

 double that 

 amount. 



These two well- 

 known examples 

 are very fair ones 

 as to what is going 

 on along such lines 

 all over the world, 

 and other cases of 

 it may be seen with 

 respect to the Wild 



i4i 





THE MEARNS' QUAIL 



This remarkable species is found chiefly in Arizona. The male here shown 

 is spotted and barred with black and white, while other areas are in various 

 shades of tawny and brown. 



THE CALIFORNIA QUAIL 

 This bird is one of the most beautiful of all western quails, 

 generally in Oregon and California and 



It is found 

 also to some extent in Colorado, 



565 



