THE GAME BREEDER 39 



upon to fill the markets with game for the shoot the stock birds left by vermin and 

 people to eat in order that tney may be- extinction is the very natural result, 

 come more friendly to sport and aid us = 

 in checking the efforts of those who Quail and Grouse Breeding, 

 would make song birds of the quail and Those who do not understand the sub- 

 grouse, ject insisted that pheasant breeding and 

 „ . . = - wild duck breeding were possible but 

 "^xf,^^^"M°"v , , , that no one had succeeded or could sue- 

 When the first game breeders law was ^^^^ -^ breeding quail and grouse, 

 under discussion before the Senate Com- ^g ^ ^^^^^^ of f^^^ ^^^ qy^jj ^^^ 

 mittee at Albany, NY we insisted that ^ breeders who attempted to rear 

 the producers should have the right to ^^ese birds in captivity have not made a 

 breed all species of game. 1 he result was o-reat success of it 



a compromise; the law_ as it passed only ^ ^^.^^^^ .^^ ^_ however, to breed 



permitted the production of pheasants, j^ ^^d grouse by the thousand for 



b ack ducks, mallards and deer. Our 3 ^^^ ^^^ fo^. f^^^ ^^d those who know 



plans were sadly interfered with. j^ow this should be done are aware that 



Senator Roosevelt, who presided at the ^^^ indigenous birds can be reared much 



hearing, said to the writer that if we cheaper than pheasants and wild ducks 



succeeded m producing the species per- ^^^ ^^ reared 



mitted it would not be long before we '^ _ 



could have the law amended so that it Qur Preference. 



would be possible to make all the wild ^g prefer the noisy sanctuary where 

 fowl plentiful. We were much opposed ^^g shooting is lively to the much praised 

 to the compromise. We anticipated that ^^^^^ refuges for several reasons. Grant- 

 the pheasants would be substituted for ■ ^^^^ ^^^ same amount of land is 

 our quail and grous.e ; that quickly they pog^ed in each case, the noisy sanctuary 

 would become abundant, as they have m ^jn ^g £0^^^ ^^ produce the most game, 

 many places, when they are properly ^^^ besides a lot of shooting which is 

 looked after, and that the shooting of q^j^g ^orth while. Vermin will dine 

 quail =and grouse would be prohibited fj-ggjy j^ ^he refuge but it will not take 

 because no one would look after these ^^^g^ game in places where it is pro- 

 birds for the very good reason that it (jyced for sport, 

 would not pay to do so. -phere is plenty of room in America 



TV, p Tvr V, ^ ^°^ ^^^ kinds of preserving and we will 



The Proper Method. ^^^ oppose the sentimentalists who want 



The proper method of breeding quail refuges where no sport is to be had and 



and grouse, as often as we have pointed ^here no food is produced for the people 



out, is to make the fields safe and attrac- ^^ g^t; all we ask is that our friends do 



tive, and to let the birds do the rest. The ^^^ oppose us when we organize noisy 



tendency to increase is tremendous. In refuges with small dues for the members 



the days when the natural game enemies _ ^j^q ^re willing to give their time to the 



Avere very abundant the quail and grouse laudable work of shooting some game for 



lived literally in swarms on vast areas, ^j^g people to eat. 



We have shot wagon loads of these birds — 



and we know well how abundant they W^hat Is Needed. 



were. What is most needed just now is a 



The quail and grouse produced enough practical experiment showing that grouse 

 eggs and birds to feed all the hawks, and quail easily can be made as abundant 

 crows, snakes, and the many other spe- as partridges always are in Hungary and 

 cies of vermin that dined on game, but as grouse always are in Scotland, 

 they never did and never will produce It is very easy to say : "You can't do 

 enough for all of their natural enemies it; it is impossible." Therefore we must 

 and a few million gunners besides. The have a few more laws prohibiting shoot- 

 gunners, as often we have pointed out, ing. We can collect plenty of funds for 



