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NATURALIST'S GUIDE TO THE AMERICAS 



The museum habitat group has now 

 become one of the chief features of in- 

 terest in all museums, and many very 

 good examples of this new art are scat- 

 tered over the country from the Atlantic 

 to the Pacific, notably at New York, 

 Pittsburg, Chicago, Milwaukee, Denver, 

 San Francisco, and other places, and 

 the tourist may happily visit these 

 places and later visit the native haunts 

 of the animals exhibited. The auto- 

 mobile has brought the city and the 

 wild places closer together, and one may 

 often pass in a few hours from the 

 museum halls to the wilds of a national 

 or state park. The modern museum 

 seeks to interpret the lives of wild 

 animals for the benefit of all people, 

 rather than to simply store up vast 

 hordes of material for the specialist, 

 though the latter work must be carried 

 on also for the advancement of our 

 knowledge of life in general. The 

 museum is now, and always has been, 

 the champion of the conservation of 

 wild life. 



6. THE GAME REFUGES AND 



PUBLIC SHOOTING GROUNDS 



OF PENNSYLVANIA 



BY JOHN M. PHILLIPS 

 Member of the Board of Game Commis- 

 sioners of Pennsylvania, 1905 to 1924 



Some 30 years ago, the thinking sports- 

 men of the State of Pennsylvania be- 

 coming alarmed at the rapid disap- 

 pearance of wild game generally in this 

 State, awoke suddenly to a realization 

 of the fact that if it was to be saved for 

 posterity immediate action was neces- 

 sary to secure its protection and pres- 

 ervation. It was recognized that in 

 order to attain results, a head to direct 

 and guide the efforts of the sportsmen 

 was necessary. After considerable agi- 

 tation, in 1895, by an Act of Legislature, 

 the Game Commission was created, 

 empowered to collect data and to recom- 

 mend legislation relating to the subject 

 of game and wild bird preservation, and 

 to enforce such laws as might be enacted. 



The Commission was to consist of six 

 sportsmen, appointed by the Governor, 

 without regard to their political affilia- 

 tions, as it was intended to keep the 

 Game Commission a non-partisan body 

 and out of politics; the Commissioners 

 were to serve for love of the work and 

 without remuneration. 



The cause was particularly fortunate 

 in the first Commission, as the men 

 appointed were enthusiasts on the 

 subject of wild game conservation; 

 besides, they had had considerable ex- 

 perience in protecting birds and animals 

 upon lands under their control. Soon 

 after taking office, the Commissioners 

 realized that in order to accomplish 

 results something more than good game 

 laws and their enforcement was neces- 

 sary, for while this might take care of 

 the game left in the State, no provision 

 was made for increasing the supply. 



Having in mind the magnificent results 

 achieved by the Federal Government 

 through the establishment of National 

 Parks and Game Refuges in various 

 parts of the United States, and the 

 experiences of those in our State who 

 owned private game preserves, the Com- 

 missioners, some years later, hit upon 

 the idea of establishing in various parts 

 of the State, refuges or sanctuaries 

 into which game of all kinds and song 

 and insectivorous birds could retreat 

 and find safety when harassed by ene- 

 mies. It was thought that freedom from 

 disturbance, especially during the breed- 

 ing season, in an area where predatory 

 animals and birds could be extermi- 

 nated, and where a closed season would 

 be maintained perpetually, would result 

 in a marked increase in the birds and 

 animals in those sanctuaries. 



A careful investigation of the subject 

 of game propagation satisfied the Com- 

 missioners that efforts to raise in cap- 

 tivity our native game birds, such as wild 

 turkey, ruffed grouse and quail had not 

 as yet met with material success. An- 

 other point that was seriously con- 

 sidered was that just as the introduction 

 of the English Sparrow and the German 



