﻿PRAIRIE 
  HEN. 
  11 
  

  

  may 
  be 
  realized 
  from 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  in 
  1902 
  the 
  supply 
  at 
  from 
  $3 
  to 
  

   $5 
  a 
  brace 
  nowhere 
  met 
  the 
  demand. 
  Years 
  ago 
  prairie 
  chickens 
  

   were 
  shipped 
  east 
  by 
  carloads, 
  but 
  to-day 
  scarcity 
  of 
  birds 
  and 
  a 
  com- 
  

   mendable 
  stringency 
  of 
  laws 
  practically 
  preclude, 
  shipments. 
  

  

  Many 
  sportsmen 
  declare 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  better 
  sport 
  than 
  ' 
  chicken 
  ' 
  

   shooting. 
  The 
  bird 
  unquestionably 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  noblest 
  of 
  game 
  

   birds. 
  Though 
  in 
  speed 
  of 
  flight 
  it 
  by 
  no 
  means 
  equals 
  the 
  ruffed 
  

   grouse 
  or 
  the 
  bobwhite, 
  it 
  furnishes 
  fine 
  sport 
  when 
  hunted 
  with 
  dogs. 
  

   Early 
  in 
  the 
  season, 
  in 
  suitable 
  cover, 
  it 
  lies 
  to 
  a 
  dog 
  like 
  a 
  stone. 
  So 
  

   reluctant 
  occasionally 
  is 
  it 
  to 
  fly 
  that 
  it 
  can 
  hardly 
  be 
  put 
  up, 
  and 
  

   Professor 
  Cooke 
  informs 
  the 
  writer 
  that 
  several 
  times 
  while 
  hunting 
  

   in 
  northern 
  Minnesota 
  he 
  saw 
  a 
  pointing 
  dog 
  jump 
  and 
  catch 
  a 
  three- 
  

   fourths 
  grown 
  prairie 
  hen. 
  Late 
  in 
  the 
  fall, 
  however, 
  when 
  gathered 
  

   in 
  large 
  packs, 
  they 
  do 
  not 
  lie 
  well. 
  

  

  Early 
  in 
  the 
  season 
  — 
  that 
  is, 
  during 
  the 
  last 
  two 
  weeks 
  of 
  August 
  

   and 
  the 
  first 
  part 
  of 
  September 
  — 
  the 
  prairie 
  hen 
  affords 
  a 
  better 
  test 
  

   of 
  a 
  dog's 
  ability 
  to 
  hunt 
  fast 
  and 
  to 
  range 
  out 
  a 
  mile 
  or 
  more 
  from 
  

   the 
  gun 
  than 
  does 
  the 
  bobwhite. 
  It 
  is 
  for 
  this 
  reason 
  that 
  field 
  trials 
  

   on 
  ' 
  chickens 
  ' 
  are 
  always 
  well 
  patronized, 
  and 
  the 
  dogs 
  that 
  win 
  are 
  

   highly 
  valued. 
  So 
  highly 
  esteemed 
  is 
  the 
  prairie 
  chicken 
  as 
  the 
  

   quarry 
  of 
  ' 
  racing 
  ' 
  dogs 
  that 
  abundant 
  means 
  for 
  the 
  restocking 
  of 
  

   suitable 
  places 
  with 
  the 
  species 
  is 
  likely 
  to 
  be 
  forthcoming 
  from 
  field- 
  

   trial 
  patrons. 
  The 
  ideal 
  conditions 
  for 
  ' 
  chicken 
  ' 
  shooting 
  are 
  real- 
  

   ized 
  in 
  a 
  fenceless 
  country, 
  where 
  it 
  is 
  possible 
  for 
  the 
  hunter 
  to 
  drive, 
  

   while 
  the 
  dogs 
  range 
  from 
  a 
  quarter 
  of 
  a 
  mile 
  to 
  a 
  mile 
  away 
  from 
  

   the 
  wagon. 
  As 
  soon 
  as 
  they 
  point 
  game 
  the 
  sportsman 
  hurries 
  up 
  

   and 
  shoots. 
  The 
  driver 
  ' 
  marks 
  down 
  ' 
  the 
  birds 
  that 
  escape 
  and 
  

   perhaps 
  fly 
  half 
  a 
  mile 
  before 
  alighting. 
  Then 
  the 
  wagon 
  advances 
  

   to 
  where 
  they 
  dropped, 
  and 
  shooting 
  is 
  again 
  in 
  order. 
  In 
  some 
  

   parts 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  the 
  sport 
  stops 
  at 
  10 
  or 
  11 
  o'clock 
  in 
  the 
  morning, 
  

   because 
  of 
  the 
  intense 
  heat 
  during 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  the 
  day, 
  when 
  the 
  

   birds 
  are 
  resting 
  in 
  places 
  difficult 
  of 
  access, 
  and 
  is 
  not 
  resumed 
  

   before 
  3 
  or 
  4 
  o'clock 
  in 
  the 
  afternoon. 
  

  

  PRESERVATION 
  AND 
  PROPAGATION. 
  

  

  The 
  prairie 
  hen 
  deserves 
  well 
  of 
  man. 
  It 
  is 
  beneficial 
  to 
  agricul- 
  

   ture, 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  best 
  table 
  delicacies, 
  and 
  its 
  booming 
  call 
  is 
  the 
  

   dominant 
  spring 
  note 
  of 
  the 
  plains, 
  as 
  the 
  bird 
  is 
  their 
  most 
  character- 
  

   istic 
  resident. 
  Furthermore, 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  entries 
  to 
  the 
  yearly 
  field 
  

   trials 
  on 
  ' 
  chickens 
  ' 
  speak 
  for 
  it 
  as 
  an 
  object 
  of 
  sport. 
  In 
  view 
  of 
  

   all 
  the 
  good 
  qualities 
  of 
  the 
  bird, 
  the 
  causes 
  of 
  its 
  diminished 
  numbers 
  

   should 
  be 
  sought, 
  and 
  adequate 
  means 
  applied 
  to 
  preserve 
  it 
  from 
  

   extinction. 
  

  

  At 
  the 
  beginning 
  of 
  the 
  nineteenth 
  century 
  the 
  prairie 
  hen 
  was 
  

  

  