80 Trans. Acad. Sci. of St. Louis. 



ington, where he hvecl later for a while. In 1888 Professor 

 Kilpatrick reported from Fayette, Howard Co., " formerly 

 plenty, now scarce." Mr. F. C. Pellet of Salem stated recently 

 that pheasants were once found in Dent Co., but are not found 

 there now. Mr. W. G. Savage writes me that fifteen years ago 

 pheasants were considered common in Shannon Co. and that 

 some still occur there, though rarely. One was shot near Mon- 

 teer in the winter of 1905-'06. Mr. B. T. Gault met with Ruffed 

 Grouse in two places near Edgehill in Reynolds Co. in June 

 1894. Mr. E. S. Currier found a nest with eggs on hilly ground 

 in Lee Co., la., just across the Des Moines River from Clark Co., 

 Mo., about ten years ago. 



Although Ruffed Grouse must at present be regarded as rare 

 in Missouri, there are some very recent records which prove that 

 they are not entirely exterminated. Dr. Williams of Flat 

 River knows where to find pheasants along the Big River in 

 St. Francois Co. and Dr. W. Mills and Mr. Jul. Volkman of Web- 

 ster Groves have lately located small colonies along the Meramec 

 River in St. Louis Co. and on the bluffs of the Missouri River 

 in Franklin Co. Mr. Philo Smith found pheasants only a few 

 years ago in the hills back of Herman in Gasconade Co. The 

 new game law (section 10) prohibits their capture or killing 

 until December 1, 1910, when it is expected they will again be 

 plentiful enough to permit an open season of one month in late 

 fall or early winter. While they formerly inhabited not only 

 the hilly part of the state, but also the slopes along the then 

 wooded river bottoms of northern Missouri, they are now re- 

 stricted to the bluff regions of the larger rivers and, to a less 

 extent, to ravines and hillsides along some of the smaller streams, 

 but are never found on the wide ridges of the Ozarks themselves, 

 where * conditions do not seem to suit them. Some think the 

 reason why Ruffed Grouse are not more plentiful in the Ozarks 

 and why they have entirely disappeared from localities where 

 they were not much molested by man, is to be found in the ter- 

 rible increase and spread of the chigger (Trombidium), which 

 is said to kill the young grouse. That the chigger, carried from 

 place to place by pasturing animals, is steadily increasing and 

 alarmingly spreading to regions not infested before, is a well- 

 known fact nearly throughout Missouri and, since enemies may 

 determine the breeding range of an animal as well as food and 

 other conditions, I give it as a not impossible theory. Another 

 explanation of their disappearance from the forests of the Ozarks 



