PINNATED GROUSE 221 



broods were successfully reared, and it was believed 

 that the number had more than doubled. 



The first protective law relating to the heath hen is 

 said to have been passed in 1831. This provided for a 

 closed season from March i to September i. In 1837 

 there was established a closed season of four years, 

 which in the same year was extended for five years 

 more. These Acts, however, permitted any town to 

 suspend the law, so far as that town was concerned, 

 for such a period as might be deemed expedient, and 

 in 1842 the town of Tisbury did suspend the law for 

 a period of ten days on more than one occasion. In 

 fact, the law in behalf of these birds fell into desuetude 

 and no effort was made to enforce it up to about 1905. 

 The inhabitants of Martha's Vineyard felt a local pride 

 in having there a bird found nowhere else in the world, 

 but this local pride was not strong enough to protect 

 the species. 



An observer who visited the island in the spring of 

 1906 made to the commissioners on fisheries and game 

 of Massachusetts a report which gives much in- 

 teresting detail as to the habits of the heath hen at the 

 particular time when they are preparing to mate, and 

 is well worth quoting in full. He says : 



"At 6 P.M. we arrived at the point where we hoped 

 to find traces of the heath hen. In a cleared field, about 

 thirty rods from the road, we distinctly saw two large 

 birds. On our nearer approach they squatted close 

 and their protective coloration was so effective that 

 although we knew almost exactly the precise location 



