144 



THE GAME BREEDER 



from time to time, but they didn't seem 

 at all interested. So I have to cop some 

 stuff from yours and other outdoor 

 books and use them from time to time." 



The Wild Pigeon. 



Mr. M. T. Richardson sends a clip- 

 ping from the Sun about the wild pigeon. 

 The writer, Arthur F. Rice, believes the 

 pigeons must have suffered from some 

 disease which exterminated them. 



This idea is untenable since it would 

 not seem possible that the pigeons suf- 

 fered from disease in zones from east 

 to west which was the order of their 

 disappearance. 



Cooper in the Pioneers gives a graphic 

 account of the countless flocks which 

 darkened the sky in central New York. 

 Long after the pigeons became scarce 

 or extinct in the region they were tre- 

 mendously abundant in Ohio and Indi- 

 ana. As a boy the writer saw the vast 

 flocks which were just as Cooper de- 

 scribes them. Later I saw the pigeons 

 abundant in Wisconsin where I shot 

 many of them. 



We believe the explanation of their 

 extermination is that they could not 

 stand the excessive shooting, trapping 

 and nest robbing which followed them 

 westward, in addition to the losses due 

 to vermin. The pigeons no doubt re- 

 lied on numbers in order to survive their 

 enemies. Hawks found them easy marks. 

 Their nests were exposed to crows and 

 other enemies. When they were deci- 

 mated by man their numbers became too 

 small to satisfy the needs of their nat- 

 ural enemies and they disappeared be- 

 cause nature's balance was upset in the 

 wrong direction just as the wild turkey 

 vanished in Ohio after laws were en- 

 acted prohibiting shooting at all times. 

 There were not enough birds left to sur- 

 vive their enemies. 



The Federal Law. 



United States Department of Agricul- 

 ture, Bureau of Biological Survey 

 Washington, D. C, January 18, 1919. 

 — We certainly do propose to enforce 

 the federal law throughout the country, 

 and we are glad to have our attention 



called to the fact that ducks are being 

 unlawfully hunted on the Illinois River. 

 We will at once have the matter inves- 

 tigated by our representative in Illinois. 

 While the bureau is considerably handi- 

 capped because of the limited funds pro- 

 vided for the enforcement of the migra- 

 tory bird treaty act, it will do every- 

 thing possible to deter persons from vio- 

 lating the law, and where the evidence 

 justifies will commence immediate prose- 

 cution in the federal courts. 



Federal open season for waterfowl i 

 Illinois closed on December 31st, and it 

 is now unlawful to hunt such birds in 

 that state. 



E. W. Nelson, 

 Chief of Bureau. 



Good Reason for Selling Dogs. 



Numerous advertisements of setters 

 and pointers for sale appear in the Amer- 

 ican Field the reason for selling being 

 stated — quail and grouse shooting are 

 prohibited. 



Ten Commandments or More. 



More-gamelawist: "You wouldn't 

 call a man a Christian who constantly 

 violates every one of the ten command- 

 ments, then why should you call a man 

 a sportsman who goes afield with gun 

 and dog and disregards nearly every 

 game law made for the preservation of 

 game ?" — American Field. 



More-gameist: But you should re- 

 member there are only ten command- 

 ments, all directed against wrongdoing, 

 while no man living knows how many 

 game laws there are, many of which, as 

 the Alabama orator was forced to ad- 

 mit, create numerous crimes, containing" 

 no "moral turpentine" — such as having 

 eggs in possession for breeding purposes 

 for example. Granting that only 500 

 new game laws will be enacted this year 

 (a very modest estimate), containing 

 only three new crimes each, you must ad- 

 mit that it is easier to learn ten com- 

 mandments than it is to learn 1,500 new 

 ones ; and besides the ten are not changed 

 every season. Don't you think it would 

 be a good compromise for you to have 

 all the laws you want on your farm and 



