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PRAIRIE HEN. 



THROUGHOUT the prairies of the Mississippi 

 Valley, south to Louisiana and Texas and west tu 

 Kansas and Dakota, east to Indiana and Kentucky and 

 north to Manitoba, this familiar and well-known bird is 

 found in greater or less abundance. Along the eastern 

 limit of its dispersion the Prairie Chicken is rapidly 

 diminishing, and like the buffalo, and many other wild 

 creatures that once roamed in countless numbers over 

 certain portions of our land, will doubtless soon entirely 

 disappear. But as if to atone for the loss of its eastern 

 possessions, it follows its star of empire westward, and as 

 the settlements increase and multiply, so the Prairie 

 Hen appears to flourish, and like Bob White accom- 

 panies man as he penetrates the wilderness, either of 

 forest or treeless plains. It is a resident species throuj^li- 

 out nearly all its range, breeding where found, save in the 

 northern portions of our land, and in the autumn, when 

 the weather is severe, the females, for the flocks are 

 mostly of that sex, leave the northern limit of their 

 habitat and proceed south to more genial climes, such as 

 may be found in Iowa and Missouri. In the spring, as 

 soon as the weather has become somewhat settled, tiie 

 birds all return to their northern homes. The males 

 seem to remain behind, whether too lazy to undertake 

 the journey, or less mindful of the excessive cold fre- 

 quently experienced near the Canadian border, it is diffi- 

 cult to determine, but probably the cold affects them 

 less. 



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