672 



AAIERICAN FORESTRY 



when rising, and taxing the skill of the hunter severely. 

 Neither is of great value as a destroyer of insects because 

 of the nature of its haunts, and neither is of great aesthetic 

 value because it is difficult to see even when its haunts 

 are known, and both are delicious eating. Both have suf- 

 fered severely from prolonged shooting on their wintering 

 grounds where they cling to one neighborhood until killed, 

 but shortening the season and lessening the bag limit 

 should permit them to hold their own. 



The last class of the migratory game birds includes 



the wild pigeons 

 and doves. That 

 they are good to 

 eat, there can be 

 no question ; that 



jesthetic value aside from the charm which attaches to its 

 gameness, it yields perhaps the greatest amount of sport 

 per bird killed of any of our game, for it taxes the utmost 

 skill of the sportsman when it thunders away through 

 the dense woods. Where there is proper cover it will hold 

 its own until excessively hunted and it increases quickly 

 with the establishment of sanctuaries and although, as yet, 

 it has not been artificially reared in numbers, the time 

 will come when game preserves will be able to assist nature 

 in replenishing the covers. 



The introduced pheasant requires less skill to find 

 and to shoot, has a somewhat greater value as a destroyer 

 of insects and a more aesthetic appeal as it struts about 

 the open fields, but unquestionably its greatest value is as 

 a game bird, particidarly as it is so easily reared arti- 

 ficially that covers can be restocked 

 as rapidly as depleted. It is a valu- 

 able supplement to our native game. 

 The question of the friendly little 



A BOBOLINK IN SPRING ATTIRE 



By the Federal Migratory Bird Law and many 

 state laws, the bobolink is still considered a 

 game bird, in spite of the fact that it is one of 

 the greatest enemies of all the insect pests of 

 the fields and at the same time is one of our 

 most vivacious songsters. The bobolink in the 

 photograph is feeding army worms and grass- 

 hoppers to its young. 



A FEMALE RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD 



This bird shows very well the strong feet and the bill 

 characteristic of the family Iclerida. The bird is at 

 its nest in the reeds of the marsh. 



it requires skill to shoot them, is 

 undoubtedly true, if they are shot 

 on the wing, because they are ex- 

 tremely swift. However, although they are not insectivor- 

 ous, they do great good in the destruction of weed seed 

 and they certainly have no mean aesthetic value, if we can 

 judge from the inspirations they have given to writers 

 and poets all over the world. Furthermore, pigeons or 

 doves are not able to endure severe hunting, as attested by 

 the total extinction of the passenger pigeon. The same 

 fate is awaiting the mourning dove and the band-tailed 

 pigeon, if they remain on the game list, but fortunately 

 many states no longer regard them as such, giving them 

 permanent protection, and the federal law has taken a 

 step in the right direction by protecting the band-tailed 

 pigeon for two years. 



There remain for consideration the non-migratory 

 game birds. The game quality of the wild turkey and the 

 grouse is not open to question. They combine all the 

 requisites which go to make up the perfect game bird. 

 Excellent as food, the ruffed grouse, for example, will 

 make a meal for two, or even three, persons ; negligible or 

 «ven destructive in its feeding: habits, and of little 



A BALTIMORE ORIOLE 

 Although much more brilliantly colored, the orioles 

 belong to the same family as the blackbirds. The bird 

 is at its nest hung at the tip end of an elm branch. 



bob-white and the various species of quails is not quite so 

 simple. The bob-white has all the requisites of the per- 

 fect game bird in being excellent food, requiring skill to 

 secure it, lying close at the approach of the hunter, rising 

 with a startling rumble and flying very swiftly, and scf 

 forth. But, on the other hand, it is of great value as a 

 destroyer of insects and has an aesthetic appeal quite aside 

 from its desirability as game. Its cheerful whistle, its con- 

 fiding ways, its pleasing appearance are all in contradic- 

 tion to its use as a game bird. The same mav be said of 

 the California quails, scaled partridge, and all the other 

 species. There is a considerable movement on foot to re- 

 move the bob-white from the game list, and it is not with- 

 out reason, for we cannot say of it, as we can of the- 

 grouse, or the snipe, or the waterfowl, that its greatest 

 value is as game or food for the table. 



