170 THE AXGLER AND HUXTSMAX 



They breed throughout the eastern part of the United 

 States, as well as in the neighboring Canadian Provinces, 

 and spend the winter principally in the southeast of this 

 country. This upland game bird is nocturnal in habit, 

 feeding at night in swamps, along small streams, and ponds, 

 where the long bill they possess comes in handy in their 

 search for food. 



Of late years, their numbers have rapidly decreased, 

 necessitating strict conservation laws. It would indeed be 

 a pity to see them utterly exterminated, as they are a game 

 bird held in high esteem by all sportsmen. 



Wilson Snipe: 



The Wilson Snipe is found over nearly the whole of 

 North America, and, being a dweller of thickets and 

 marshes, its pursuit readily appeals to the true sportsman, 

 and so sudden, rapid, and irregular is its flight that it re- 

 quires the highest skill of the marksman to bring one down. 



Upland Plover: 



This is another of our fine game birds. Its scientific 

 designation is "Bartramia longicauda." Like the wood- 

 cock, the plover is another of our best game birds that within 

 recent years have had their numbers dangerously depleted, 

 largely due to spring shooting. The protective measures 

 and closed seasons came too late, it is feared, to save them 

 from total extinction. 



King Rail (Rallus elegans) :' 



These birds inhabit fresh-water marshes, generally 

 speaking, throughout the eastern part of North America. 

 In habits, they are very timid, keeping well under cover in 

 the tall grasses of the marsh, doing most of their feeding 

 by night. 



