Birds of Allegany Park 251 



will decrease continually until it becomes necessary to stop hunting 

 altogether. 



To insure continual good hunting it should be part of the duties 

 of some officials employed in the Park to keep careful watch of the 

 relative abundance of game, and to report regularly to the Park 

 Commission as to how the birds have withstood the hunting season 

 and the winter, and how successfully they have reared young in 

 early summer. Provision should be made by which the Park Com- 

 mission should be empowered to stop all hunting for a year or two 

 in case the numbers of birds has been greatly depleted through 

 failure of food supply, too intensive hunting, or severe weather 

 conditions. 



Ruffed Grouse seem able to care for themselves through the 

 winter, no matter how deep the snow or severe the cold. There 

 will probably be no necessity of feeding them or taking special 

 care of them through that season. The great numbers of deaths in 

 winter are more likely to be due to natural enemies. The carnivorous 

 mammals that are active through the winter and that prey upon 

 Grouse when they have opportunity are not numerous in the Park 

 and will probably not be a serious danger to game. The enemies 

 that may cause considerable depletion in numbers are the Gos- 

 hawks and Horned Owls that in certain years invade more south- 

 ern regions from the north, probably only when the food supply 

 there is scarce. These birds are also liable to affect the numbers 

 of small game mammals such as the varying hare. The time 

 of their invasions should be carefully observed. Correspondence 

 with field ornithologists in different parts of the country will 

 reveal the coming southward of such birds. In case of necessity 

 it may be advisable to employ a hunter in such years to decrease 

 these predacious birds, particularly within the game preserve areas. 



The question of other natural enemies of game is not particularly 

 serious. The balance of nature, discussed elsewhere, applies here, 

 and it must be remembered that extermination of the fox, lynx, 

 skunk, mink or weasel may result in some unforeseen condition that 

 in the end would be more harmful than beneficial to game and other 

 wild life of the Park. 



The introduction of other species of game birds to the Park area 

 deserves consideration. As has been said, the Bob-white or Quail 

 seems never to have been native in the region, probably because 

 the winters are too severe and snow too deep. This bird must have 

 grain or seed foods, and grit with which to digest them; and deep 

 snows, particularly crusted snows, often decrease their numbers 

 in regions where they are native. They could probably not be intro- 

 duced successfully unless provision were made to feed and care for 

 them through the winters, involving considerable expense. Attempts 

 to introduce this species seem therefore inadvisable. 



Pheasants and other foreign species may perhaps be successfully 

 introduced. It must be remembered, however, that the introduction 

 of a foreign species in numbers enough to make good hunting will 



