THE GAME BREEDER 



117 



a striking conception that is splendid in spirit 

 and in execution. From Mr. Polasek's model, 

 bronze statues will be made and presented by 

 the citizens of Ilion "To the Organized Militia 

 of the United States, for Perpetual Competi- 

 tion." These statues will be sent to the na- 

 tional capitols of each State and will be com- 

 peted for each year by the National Guard 

 companies and awarded "for proficiency in 

 marksmanship." The model may also be re- 

 produced in other ways. It is safe to say that 

 no more fitting and graceful tribute has ever 

 been paid the shooting sport in this country 

 than the giving of these statues. 



AN UNPARALLELED ACHIEVEMENT. 



Probably nowhere in the world — certainly 



not in this young country of ours — has there 

 been a parallel to this solid century of achieve- 

 ment and advancement along one line of in- 

 dustry, going back for its origin to so humble 

 and yet so romantic a beginning. From the 

 little forge shop to the largest manufacturers 

 of firearms and ammunition in the world in 

 the span of a human life,, is a development 

 that seems more like a dream than the mag- 

 nificent record which history shows it to be. 



The rallying of the throngs and the home- 

 comings to the prosperous little Mohawk Val- 

 ley town in August will represent only a small 

 cross section of- the Centennial's full meaning. 

 All the world will pay homage to Ilion this 

 year and to the birth and growth of the fire- 

 arms industry in America. 



NOTES FROM THE GAME FARMS AND PRESERVES. 



at. Two hours after the English spar- 

 row was gone. I called my cocker span- 

 iel to find it. He located it in a hole of 

 the wall and took it from the mouth of 

 a large garter snake "which had already- 

 got the head and shoulders down. I 

 am satisfied this snake would kill and eat 

 any young bird like a quail, for exam- 

 ple. 



A club of which I am president, lo- 

 cated in North Carolina, gives the game 

 warden a 25 cent bounty for every egg- 

 devouring snake he kills, also for every 

 hawk known as an enemy to birds. In 

 bounties he has collected from year to 

 year about $60 per annum. We formerly 

 included owls but we omitted them as 

 they are great destroyers of field mice, 

 the farmers asking for the owls' protec- 

 tion even if they did get some quail. 



The tail of every snake killed is tacked 

 on the side of a barn for my annual in- 

 spection and count. I find there from 

 100 to 150 each year, the list being 

 mostly black and whip snakes and a few 

 land moccasins. Our game warden is 

 a strictly honest man. He has seen large 

 black snakes rob hen's roosts and tells 

 me that in Florida the "racer," or large 

 black snake, after swallowing whole, sev- 

 eral eggs, finds a narrow space to crawl 

 through and in so doing constricts and 

 breaks up the eggs in his stomach. I 

 am sure any snake from 2^2 feet up- 

 wards will eat any egg in size up to and 

 including a grouse egg. 



J. D. Foot. 



Young Mallards. 



More About Snakes. 



Referring to "snakes" — years ago a 

 black snake was opened on the B. G. 

 Park Association grounds and six part- 

 ridge (grouse) eggs were taken from 

 his stomach. I have an original set of 

 Audubon's works. One plate shows a 

 combat between a black snake and the 

 parent brown thrasher, one of which he 

 has killed. He was trying to take the 

 eggs from their nest and Audubon wit- 

 witnessed the scene. 



Last spring I shot a sparrow that was 

 annoying my martins and laid it on the 

 wall below their house for them to look 



