THE QUAIL TRAGEDY ON LONG ISLAND 



IN a very short time the Bob White will be as thoroughly 

 extinct on Long Island, New York, as the dodo is on 

 the Island of Mauritius. Swine running at large anni- 

 hilated the latter ; and as to the status of the parties whom 

 History will hold' responsible for the tragedy of the quail 

 History shall be the judge. 



In all our experience in wild life protection, few de- 

 structive episodes have been more inexcusable or more ex- 

 asperating than the Long Island case. In view of what it 

 means to the inhabitants of a considerable area of New 

 York State, the history of it must go on the records. 



Throughout the past fifteen years the game killers of Long 

 Island have claimed, and fought for, special privileges for 

 themselves. The market hunters, the shooting guides and 

 other hunters of that Island, first, last and all the time, 

 have demanded license to slaughter wild game as their 

 selfish interests dictated. It was the news of their grand 

 combine in the fall of 1910, to wipe out the best duck- 

 shooting laws then on our statute books, that made the 

 writer determine to carry the war into their own camp, 

 and have with them a fight to an everlasting finish. 



The Bayne Bill, for the stoppage of the sale of all native 

 wild game in the State of New York, was our answer to 

 the Long Island combine, and with it the bird defenders 

 of the State swept them off their feet so completely that 

 they never have regained their footing. Assemblyman 

 Downs still goes to Albany, and still tries to pull their 

 chestnuts out of the fire, but out of the wreck of their de- 

 mands they have saved only one item — the right to exter- 

 minate their quail. 



