44 



THE GAME BREEDER 



over the reservation, about nesting time, 

 which resulted in greatly diminishing 

 their numbers, either directly at the time 

 of the fire, or indirectly by exposing the 

 birds to the attacks of vermin on ac- 

 count of the destruction of their covers. 

 The following report from the State 

 Ornithologist, under date of September 

 28, 1917, shows that the birds have so 

 decreased in numbers that not only must 

 the most careful protection be given 

 them in their present habitat, but all 

 thought of removing birds from the 

 island must be given up for some time 

 to come, for every bird is needed now 

 for breeding, and this will go on best 

 on their accustomed grounds : 



"I returned yesterday from Martha's Vine- 

 yard, where I had time to spend but one day. 

 If I were to judge from my one day's work 

 and the observation of the superintendent, 



I should say that the heath hen is now 

 fewer in numbers than at any time within 

 the last nine years. I was able to find 

 but two birds, and I believe it has been nine 

 years since I have had such an experience, but 

 of course the number of the birds cannot be 

 judged from the experience of one man in 

 one day. 



"I also went over the field where the birds 

 feed, but did not see a bird there. I crossed 

 and re-crossed the alfalfa field a great many 

 times, looking to see if I could find any place 

 where the birds had nestled or fed. I did not 

 find a spot, although there were a few plants 

 from which a few of the leaves had been 

 nipped by something. This is remarkable, as 

 the birds are fond of alfalfa, but I could not 

 start a bird in the field. It seems quite pos- 

 sible that the birds are now down to about the 

 point that they were when the commission first 

 took hold of the work of protecting them. If 

 that is so there will be very few next spring 

 at the beginning of the breeding season." 



I think the above report will tell its 

 own story. 



MUSIC AND FOOD. 



By the Editor. 



Orchard Hill, Rhinebeck, N. Y., 



March 29, 1918 

 My Dear Mr. Huntington : — 



Mr. Dows and Mr. Strong have handed me 

 your letters of March 22 for reply in my 

 capacity as Secretary of the Rhinebeck Bird 

 Club. 



The desire for continued protection on the 

 quail as expressed in the columns of the 

 Rhinebeck Gazette, is merely the sentiment of 

 residents in this neighborhood as shown in a 

 long petition which they forwarded to the 

 Conservation Commission in Albany. There 

 may be farmers who wish to shoot quail and 

 there may be others who, like yourself, would 

 not buy a place on which they could not shoot 

 quail. I can merely say that I have not met 

 them about Rhinebeck. In this neighborhood, 

 which is chiefly an agricultural community, 

 the farmers look upon quail as among their 

 best friends, and they long for the day to re- 

 turn when the sound of their cheery whistle 

 mav again be common in their fields. 



One might almost gather from your letters 

 that all that is necessary to bring back the 

 quail is for the farmers to plant plenty of 

 currant bushes and protect the resulting nests. 

 Our experience is that in spite of protection 

 the bird is having great difficulty in holding 

 its own, and so far as nesting "quite close 

 together" in a wild state is concerned, our 



observations of the pugnacity of the males and 

 of the habits of the birds in general make 

 such a hope in this part of the country very 

 remote. 



Very truly yours, 



Clinton G. Abbott, 

 Secretary Rhinebeck Bird Club. 



The letters referred to by Mr. Abbott 

 were written to The Editor of The 

 Rhinebeck Gazette, who wrote us, send- 

 ing a clipping from his paper about the 

 work of the bird club and to Mr. Dows, 

 one of our Rhinebeck readers, explain- 

 ing that he believed it would be better to 

 encourage the production of quail than 

 to enact laws preventing such industry. 

 There can be no doubt that a country 

 place where it is legal to produce food 

 is more valuable than one where such 

 food production is criminal. We have 

 records of people who were about to pur- 

 chase farms who decided not to do so 

 when the State game department ad- 

 vised them that it was illegal to produce 

 quail for sport or for food. 



Our objection is to the kind of "pro- 



