It seems Incredible that in a 

 country as well suited for wild game 

 birds as ours, there should be any 

 danger of their extermination. 



With a few simple laws, we 

 enforced, we would have an unlim-/f,('^ 

 ited amount of birds for years to ^^ „ 

 come. But, outside of the selling of game, no laws 

 should be needed. No man who is interested in 

 birds can indulge in "Spring shooting." No man 

 who has any self-respect, will load himself down 

 with more birds than he can use, or sell game. 



Now, if all of us refrained from selling game, 

 from Spring shooting, and unnecessary slaughter, we 

 would need no game laws. The game butcher is 

 the enemy of all self-respecting sportsmen, and 

 should be treated as such. There are two more 

 enemies of our game birds that we are all familiar 

 with ; the cat and the trap. People who have 

 never studied cats, or Tvho oivn them, would not 

 believe the damage that these animals are guilty of. 

 The slaughter that they commit among our song 

 birds is bad enough; but when they destroy our 

 noble game birds, they are indeed a curse. I have 

 tracked many a farm cat in winter, and the trail 

 almost invariably ended in feathers and blood. 

 Every hunter has surprised cats on good quail 

 ground, far from any habitation. These cats are 

 practically wild, and live largely on our song and 

 game birds. 



67 



