250 THE IMPORTANCE OF BIRD LIFE 



ble to lay the blame against, — for what gunner 

 could ever bring himself to blame his gun? — and 

 before long legislative machinery was set in mo- 

 tion which finally led to a closer protection of the 

 birds. The open season for shooting was cut 

 short, and, as the movement toward conservation 

 grew, shooting was entirely prohibited in some 

 States. Thus to-day, though there is but the slim- 

 mest scattering of the birds left as compared with 

 their former millions, it no longer seems possible 

 that they will follow in the way of the heath hen. 



In the ruffed grouse we find almost as excellent 

 a game-bird as the prairie chicken. Unlike the 

 latter, it is a denizen of the forest, a lover of glades 

 and berry patches. And, with the exception of 

 Kansas, it still persists in every State that was 

 originally its native home. Its numbers, however, 

 are not as large as formerly. 



The colonials found the forests filled with birds 

 but for many generations left them comparatively 

 alone. It was with the arrival of the modern 

 shot-gun that the grouse commenced seriously to 

 suffer. Being naturally of a stupid, unsuspicious 

 temperament, they at first took to the trees at the 

 approach of the gunner and there easily fell vic- 

 tim to his aim. Millions were slaughtered in this 

 way in a very few years, and in some localities the 

 birds became scarce. The probable saving of 

 their race was due to the fact that they dwelt in 

 the deep forest, which was penetrated only by the 



