202 WILD LIFE PROTECTION FUND 



and the northwestern portion of Harney County. The main 

 point is that these birds were formerly very abundant all 

 through the southeastern section of the State, but wherever 

 the State has been settled to any extent, or where people 

 are living, the birds have disappeared. 



"In regard to a five-year closed season for sage grouse 

 in Oregon, will say that I have talked this matter over with 

 some of our people, and the one matter that seems hardest 

 to combat is the fact that in the three counties in south- 

 eastern Oregon, Lake, Malheur and Harney, there is prac- 

 tically no upland game shooting at present except sage 

 grouse. In some sections of these counties the birds are 

 fairly abundant, but in other sections they are nearly gone. 

 The question arises then as to whether it would be better 

 to try for a long closed season throughout the whole state, 

 or to try for a five-year closed season in all counties except 

 Lake, Harney and Malheur. I think it would be a very 

 easy matter to pass this law if the three counties were 

 omitted, but if the entire state was included, we would have 

 a good deal of opposition from the Senators and Represent- 

 atives in that part of the country. Let me know what you 

 think about the matter. 



"I feel that we should undertake a five-year's closed sea- 

 son in Oregon on the Columbia Sharp-tailed Grouse, which 

 is commonly known as the Prairie Chicken here in Oregon. 

 There are very few of these birds left, and unless the sea- 

 son is closed, they will be entirely exterminated." 



California : 



Joseph Grinnell, Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University 



of California, Berkeley. 



"As meeting your request of September 6, we are send- 

 ing you under separate cover a map which shows the range 

 of the sage hen in California. As far as I know there has 

 been no important change in the extent of this range with- 

 in the history of the white man, save as pertaining locally. 

 There is no doubt whatever but that there has been very 

 great decrease in certain places, for instance, in Long Val- 

 ley, Mono County, where up to 1896 the birds were reported 

 to have been found in very great numbers. They are still 

 here, though reduced. 



"The map shows stations of known occurrence within the 

 past two years. The reports pertain not to spots, but to 

 the general region in each vicinity. 



