176 



THE GAME BREEDER 



unearth all but a few flagrant cases. 

 Lack of co-operation of the public, o| 

 sportsmen' and of. others ■..int'eresteid .in 

 game protection, has been, as it will al- 

 ways be, the greatest obstacle in the way 

 of our force of game wardens render- 

 ing the most adequate service. 



Co-incident with the gradual 'aecrease 

 in prairie chicken in the settled patts of 

 the country, there has been an enormous 

 increase in the number of people who an- 

 nually go himting. With improved weap- 

 ons and ammunition, and, aided in scour- 

 ing the country by the use of motor cars, 



people have turned afield to hunt in ever- 

 increasing numbers, and in many districts 

 have air but succeeded in exterminating 

 the chicken. 



By natural inclination the prairie chick- 

 en frequent the more open territory 

 which is now pretty well occupied by 

 settlement ; and in this entire area 'the 

 present outlook is that, aside altogether 

 from the destruction of birds by natural 

 causes, a continuance of existing condi- 

 tions will mean that the birds will go 

 on decreasing, as has been the case in 

 the older settled States to the south. 



THE PRAIRIE GROUSE IN CANADA. 



Mr.' J; P. Turner, of Winnipeg, Mani- 

 toba, writes that he prepared the book- 

 let on the two species of prairie grouse 

 (from which we published quotations) at 

 the request of the Minister of Agricul- 

 ture. The object was' to stir up public 

 opinion toward the better protection of 

 these birds and'to hold up the hands of 

 the government in proposed legislation 

 to that end. The booklet was distributed 

 throughout Manitoba and the Canadian 

 west and had a good reception. Aided by 

 the publicity given the subject of this and 

 others means, the government saw the 

 advisability of placing on the statutes 

 an indefinite closed season for all 

 grouse. As we say in thfe States the 

 grouse has been placed in the song bird 

 class. 



Mr. Turner expresses disappointment 

 because we only printed part of his book- 

 let. We had already printed more of it 

 in our November number, which appeared 

 before he became a reader of The Game 

 Breeder. We take pleasure in printing in 

 this issue what he says about the destruc- 

 tion of grouse by man. 



Mr. Turner in his letter, after inform- 

 ing us about the securing of an indefinite 

 closed season, says : 



"The question of suitable game-bird prop- 

 agation was then taken up by. us, in the hope 

 that governmental and public support could 

 be secured toward re-stocking and permanent- 

 ly supplying our grouse covers with ample 



birds for all public requiretnnts. This matter 

 is still in the lobbying stage. The way must 

 be paved by creating a wider public support 

 and a stricter recognition of the game laws 

 among our cosmopolitan population, before 

 we can launch out upon the, re-stocking plan; 

 otherwise our best efforts must be of no avail. 

 But we will succeed. 



I have been connected with practically every 

 movement for the better protection of game 

 birds and animals in Manitoba for nearly 

 twenty years, and I can assure you I have had 

 a fairly complete knowledge of the countless 

 obstacles to be overcome forced upon me in 

 that time. Not the least of these has been 

 the exasperating and selfish indifference of the 

 man with the gun and the legislator with the 

 vote ; and most of all the meat-hunting pro- 

 clivities of the thousands of settlers in our 

 midst from older lands. Before adequate 

 propagation of our native game can be even 

 attempted we must make this latter class 

 amenable not only" to the law but to our good 

 resolve. This we are gradually doing. It is 

 work for the stout-hearted and tactful men 

 who have a perfect knowledge of local con- 

 ditions. It cannot be achieved from a dis- 

 tance, though friendly advice is sincerely cov- 

 eted. ' .■ 



In your letter to Mr. J. A. MacDonald you 

 state : 



"I believe it would be a very easy matter to 

 make the prairie chickens tremendously 

 abundant and to keep them so provided the 

 subject be handled by proper methods." Your 

 theory in this regard commends itself. As 

 for it being a "very easy matter" to put into 

 effect even if hand'ed by "proper methods" is 

 I fear another thing. I think I could convince 

 you of this were you to become a resident of 

 Manitoba for say twelve months. But, in 

 going along hopefully toward the ultimate at- 



