164 Game Survey of the North Central States 



gan and Wisconsin represents a northward shift of over 300 miles for the pinnated 

 grouse. Hence it is obvious that the bulk of its present distribution and num- 

 bers in this region occurs on acquired range. 



A southward shift seems likewise to have followed in the wake of the clear- 

 ings. Cockrum,' in his "Pioneer History of Indiana" (1907), says: the prairie 

 hen 



. was quite common up to 40 years ago in the prairie sections of the 

 State and in the timbered region for many miles around the prairie, but there are 

 now very few to be seen." 



Cockrum clearly means that the pinnated grouse followed the clearings into 

 the forest, as they became large enough to offer suitable range. During the sur- 

 vey I learned that in 1880 this penetration had extended as far as Jennings 

 County, which is far south and east of any original prairies. That it did not 

 extend any farther in Indiana is indicated by the negative results of inquiries 

 from old timers made during the survey in Bartholomew, Wells, Wayne, and 

 Randolph Counties. A single drift bird was seen at a cranberry marsh in Jay 

 County near Pennville near the Ohio line in 1894, by the ornithologist, Hal Coffel. 



The original occurrence of buffalo in south central Ohio suggests that pin- 

 nated may have occurred there, but if such was the case no record remains. The 

 entire southward extension of the pinnated range has now been lost. 



The thoughtful reader may well ask why the original absence of pinnated 

 grouse from southeastern Wisconsin and southeastern Minnesota is accepted as 

 evidence of the true boundary of the species, rather than as evidence of a tem- 

 porary scarcity due to the cycle. 



There is no absolutely conclusive reason for regarding the testimony of 

 Kumlien and Hatch as establishing the true boundary rather than establishing a 

 cyclic shortage. The circumstances, however, strongly favor the former inter- 

 pretation. Thus Kumlien saw no pinnated grouse from 1834 to about 1840, a 

 period of seven years. This period is a little too long to be regarded as evidence 

 of a cycle, unless indeed the cyclic period was longer in those days. Furthermore, 

 Kumlien's affirmative testimony that sharptails were abundant during this period 

 tends to strongly refute the cyclic interpretation. 



Hatch, in stating that pinnated grouse were "seldom seen at first" evidently 

 refers to a period of considerable length rather than a short period of a few 

 years. Moreover, there is reason to believe that his informant, the Rev. Mr. 

 Gear, had checked up his impressions about game birds by talking to the Indians. 

 In his observations on quail he definitely cites the opinion of the Indians as corrob- 

 orating 4iis own observations. It therefore appears that the evidence as a whole 

 supports the assumption that Kumlien and Hatch truly described the current 

 boundary of the species, rather than some temporary shrinkage in range or num- 

 bers. 



It can by no means be assumed, however, that the original boundary was an 

 absolutely fixed line, either in prairie chickens or any other game bird. The line 



