TI)e TI)ree I\ost Important (lame ?)iMs 



Of tt)e State of New ^orl^. 



By H. a. surface, M. Sc, 



[Fellow in Vertebrate Zoology in Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y.] 



A 





" GAME BIRD " has been defined as "one 



which is suitable for food, and which is 



habitually pursued for sport, demanding 



skill and dexterity for its capture." (F. A Bates, 



in "The Game Birds of North America ") 



Again, " a game bird is one that 

 lies to the dog, and can be shot only 

 while on the wing." (H. D. Minot, 

 in " The Land and Game Birds of 

 Eastern North America") 



No two definitions of " a game 

 bird " will agree, and none will be 

 entirely satisfactory 



There are no natural or scientific 

 boundaries by which birds that are 

 hunted for sport differ (as a group) 

 from other birds, and so it might be 

 said that a game bird is one that plays 

 in a game which on one hand is sport 

 to the hunter, and on the other, life or death to the bird. 



A GOOD POINT. 



Tt)e Raffed droase. Bonasa umbellus (Linnaeus). 



The classification of this noble game bird is as follows: 



Order GALLIN.4i — The Gallinaceous Birds. 



Family Tetraontdci- — The Grouse, Partridges, and Quails. 



Family characters : Hind toes small (much less than half as long as lateral 

 toes), and inserted above the level of the anterior toes. Tarsi without spurs. Head 

 entirely feathered (in American species) except sometimes over eyes. Tail not 

 vaulted or arched. 



