242 AMERICAN GAME BIRD SHOOTING 
the West, but the birds were so persecuted that a few 
years ago it was supposed that this grouse was nearly 
extinct there. Within the last few years, however, a 
great change is reported. State Game Commissioner 
John A. Wheeler wrote: 
“My deputy game wardens throughout the State re- 
port prairie chickens, pinnated grouse, rapidly increas- 
ing. Our deputy wardens in Wayne County report 
3,000 birds in that county by actual count. In Sanga- 
mon County, from personal observation and reports 
from the deputy wardens, I am convinced that we 
have nearly that many birds. From all over the State 
we are receiving encouraging reports of the increase of 
prairie chickens.” 
Almost the northwestern limit of the pinnated 
grouse’s range is western Minnesota, and of this coun- 
try Mr. S. F. Fullerton, then the executive agent of 
Minnesota’s board of game and fish commissioners, 
reported interestingly. It is obvious that unless the 
cultivation of the land is such as to provide food for 
the pinnated grouse they will not do well there, and the 
character of Minnesota farming, which is largely dairy- 
ing on small farms, is not such as to encourage occu- 
pancy by the pinnated grouse. In two letters, Mr. 
Fullerton said: 
“The pinnated grouse, or prairie chicken, is disap- 
pearing from a large section of our State. It cannot 
stand civilization, but it is very odd that in new por- 
tions of the State that have been opened up they are 
