lU 



THE GAME BREEDER 



is customary, however, in England to 

 have more keepers on a given area than 

 are usually employed in America. 



There is quite a difference in the 

 cost of rearing stated by Mr. "Bige- 

 low— 35 cents per bird — and the 

 estimate of Captain Maxwell — $1.75 per 

 bird. We shall publish some estimates 

 of other readers and we especially wish 

 to obtain figures from those who keep 

 accurate accounts of their expenses. 



Light Feeding. 



Good game keepers underfeed rather 

 than overfeed their young birds es- 

 pecially where insect food is plentiful. 



The young pheasant obtains much ex- 

 ercise as well as food when chasing 

 grasshoppers and other insects in the 

 grass. The young wild duck fares much 

 better when he can obtain much exer- 

 cise chasing insects and we have ob- 

 served them chasing young frogs and 

 small fish when they are reared on 

 marshy ground and when they have 

 access to shallow water. The water 

 should be very shallow and warm to in- 

 sure the best success and where young 

 ducks are reared under hens they should 

 be driven from the water early in the 

 afternoon before it turns cold and they 

 may well be kept in their breeding yards 

 on cold days until they are several weeks 

 old. Many and probably most keepers 

 do not let their young birds enter the 

 water until they are six or eight weeks 

 old. 



Ail Inquiry About Woodcock. 



Mr. E. W. Nelson, Chief of the Bio- 

 logical Survey, writes that they are mak- 

 ing extended inquiries about the wood- 

 cock and asks us to suggest to readers of 

 The Game Breeder that they furnish in- 

 formation along the lines requested in 

 the following letter: 



Editor, The Game Breeder. 



We are making extended inquiries 

 in regard to the present status of the 

 woodcock with a view properly to pro- 

 tect it under any new regulations that 

 may appear to be necessary. 



A letter, copy of which is enclosed, 



has been sent to several hundred sports- 

 ment and others in the territory included 

 within the woodcock range and much 

 valuable and interesting, although con- 

 .flicting data, is being received in re- 

 sponse thereto. 



We shall be obliged if you will sug- 

 gest to the readers of The Game Breeder, 

 who have not already done so, that they 

 furnish us any information they may 

 have along the lines requested in our 

 letter to sportsmen on the subject. 



Your cooperation in this matter will 

 be much appreciated. 



Very truly yours, 



E. W. Nelson, 

 Chief, Biological Survey. 



Encouragement of Game Breeding. 



Hon. Wm, R. Oates, Game and Fish 

 Commissioner of Michigan, says in his 

 excellent report: "Authorities agree that 

 there is no greater incentive to an inter- 

 est in wild life and its conservation than 

 lies in the possibilities of utilizing a por- 

 tion of it for commercial gain. So long 

 as such use of it does not intrude to an 

 appreciable extent on the rights of the 

 people, I believe that the breeding of 

 wild life for the market should be en- 

 couraged. Water fowl, pheasants, wild 

 turkeys, deer and fur-bearing animals, 

 life which is constantly falling prey to 

 other animals or untoward conditions in 

 the wilds, can be made to yield in cap- 

 tivity a private revenue to breeders 

 which indirectly benefits us all. 



"Our present breeders' license law is 

 inadequate to meet the requirements for 

 propagating animal life in captivity, and 

 I am recommending amendments to con- 

 form to conditions.". 



We observe that the quail, prairie 

 rgouse, ruffed grouse, spruce grouse and 

 blue grouse, which the report tells us are 

 getting scarce, and which on this account 

 most need the attention of v game breed- 

 ers, are not mentioned as birds which 

 "can be made to yield a private revenue 

 to breeders." Any of the birds named 

 can be made to yield several times as 

 much money as a mallard and there Can 

 be no better food than quail and grouse. 



