52 Where to Hunt 



party of hunters here to go out and obtain from fifty to 

 one hundred gray squirrels in a day ; they brimstoned 

 them in their holes, and used other unsportsmanlike tac- 

 tics to a great degree. Then came the steam sawmills 

 and the cutting down of much of the woods, which 

 caused countless numbers of the squirrels to migrate 

 elsewhere. They are still to be found in the state in 

 fair numbers, but nowadays a bag of from fifteen to 

 twenty is equal to the fifty or one hundred of a few 

 years ago. 



Of feathered game to be found are ruffed grouse, 

 quail, woodcock, Wilson's snipe, rail-birds of the differ- 

 ent varieties, duck of a great variety of kinds, and 

 geese. Ruffed grouse are plentiful, and it is believed 

 if it were not for the snares they would soon be wonder- 

 fully abundant. Quail were very abundant until the 

 winter of '91 and '92, when they were almost entirely 

 exterminated, and they were scarce until the season of 

 1895. They were spared, generally speaking, by 

 sportsmen, and most of them left to breed. A good 

 deal of stocking with quail has been done in the state. 



During the month of October Wilson's snipe are 

 plentiful along the river marshes and lowlands. They 

 are also found in large numbers from the 8th to the 

 20th of April. 



Up to a few years ago flight woodcock were very 

 plentiful in Connecticut during the last of October and 

 most of November, but of late years they have not 

 been plentiful. 



Rail shooting is one of the attractions of this state. 

 It has been excellent for several years past. The legal 

 season for shooting this bird begins September I . The 



