164 WILD LIFE PROTECTION FUND 



It ought to be hard for them to convince a legislature with 

 no other evidence but skulls and crossbones to verify their 

 hypocritical parading as game preservers. 



I don't think there ever was a cause bolstered up by such 

 hair-splitting, by such sophistry and pumpkin-headed argu- 

 ment as is brought forward by these "game shooters." "In 

 breeding, quail consume bugs that should be left as food 

 for other bugs," and "prairie chickens have no place to make 

 their nests." These are samples of the wisdom of "game 

 shooters." It is enough to make one believe that man, or 

 some men at least, did actually descend from baboons. 



Now these "game shooters" w T ill doubtless agree with me 

 that there are two agencies at work to make game scarce, 

 viz. : cold winters and hunting. If I subscribe to that, they 

 should. Now, suppose that the hunters get 50 per cent, and 

 the cold winters the other 50, where would we be then? 

 The problem then for the future would be nothing from 

 nothing, and nothing remains. Game would be as scarce 

 as common sense among "game shooters." 



It is hard for any one who knows the subject to under- 

 stand how you can multiply wild game by killing it. These 

 exterminators of game claim it is better to have two agen- 

 cies at work for its destruction than one, and that killing 

 with a shot-gun makes up for what freezes to death. I be- 

 lieve a donkey would shake his head at that proposition. 

 ******** 



Mr. Seeburger claims credit for obeying the migratory 

 bird laws. Being one of the "game shooters" and apologists 

 for them it may be very remarkable that he is a law-abiding 

 citizen. 



In conclusion, I want to say that Illinois has a closed sea- 

 son on prairie chickens and they are increasing. They seem 

 to have no trouble to find places to nest. I can take Mr. 

 Seeburger to a farm in Appanoose county where a few years 

 ago they began to protect about a half dozen prairie chick- 

 ens and on that farm there are now over 200. They nest 

 there. 



