where vermin has been steadily controlled, and they are more 

 innocent of the dangers due to lurking foes than our birds are. 



Since the necessity for looking after some of the breeding 

 grounds and protecting them fronl vermin is now apparent 

 it follows that such industry should 

 be encouraged by legislation, as it 

 now is by the game breeders laws 

 which recentlj'^ have been enacted in 

 many states. The excellent shooting 

 which the game breeders provide for 

 themselves results in restocking the 

 neighborhood, and game breeding 

 associations have become popular — 

 especially those which have small 

 dues and provide good shooting 

 for many guns. It would be im- 

 possible here to do more than mention some of the more im- 

 portant game enemies and the methods of their control. 



The fox is regarded as a deadly enemy of all ground nesting 

 birds and the game is known to suffer much from this sly animal. 

 I have photographs showing the destruction of ruffed grouse 

 by foxes, on the snow; and the many feathers and bones found 

 in the fox's den indicate that the young foxes are fed on game. 

 Other grouse, quail, partridges, woodcocks and wild fowl are 

 eagerly devoured by the fox. 



In the West the coyote and other wolves are very destructive, 

 not only to game birds, but also to deer and antelope. The 

 mountain lion, or cougar, and the lynx are equally destructive. 

 Minks and weasels hunt wantonly and kill far more game birds 

 than they can eat. There are records of minks killing scores of 

 birds. in a night, and only a few days ago I had a report from a 

 breeding ground, in which I am interested, stating that a weasel 

 had destroyed many young pheasants and that rattlesnakes also 

 were eating the young birds. These snakes and black snakes 

 and others not only eat young birds, but they destroy old birds 

 on the nest and devour many eggs. I have seen young pheas- 

 ants as large as quail taken from snakes which were killed by 

 keepers. A fox terrier is often used to locate snakes and these 

 pests are easily destroyed with a club or gun, when found. 



A number of hawks, notably the Coopershawk, goshawk, 

 and red shouldered hawk, put in much of their time killing and 

 eating game birds and I have observed some of the smaller 

 hawks, which are deemed to be beneficial birds, destroying 

 quail and pheasants. There are records of the duck-hawk 



