THE GAME BREEDER 109 



INTELLIGENCE AND PREJUDICE. 



By The Editor. 



A Southern lady, referring to Mr. plowed under with the stubble, leaving 

 Burnham's statement that we don't want at certain seasons absolutely no cover 

 the foreign system of game breeding in or food for game birds, cannot be kept 

 this country, writes : 'About this idiotic well stocked with grouse or quail by 

 prejudice against 'foreigners,' meaning enacting laws prohibiting the shooting 

 nearly always the British, I hardly know of more than six birds in a day and pro- 

 how to express my disgust. You see hibiting the sale and transportation of 

 I hear it day in and day out. I recall the food. Even laws prohibiting shoot- 

 one well informed man, or I thought he ing do not help matters in places where 

 was so, who was present when I was the lands are used in the ways referred 

 comparing this government with that of to. 



England and averred (and I think it is The licensing of gunners to shoot up 

 true) that the last named was more of the farms is not a sufficient inducement 

 a democracy than our government, and to cause, the ranchers and farmers to 

 that the President had more authority by leave some cover and food at the sides 

 or to the extent of his veto than the of the fields or to make the special plant- 

 English King. The man objecting, when ings which are necessary in closely pas- 

 pressed for a reason said that 'the King tured or cultivated regions to make the 

 could cut his head off.' Such ignorance land habitable for game. The buffalo, 

 is to be pitied, of course, instead of the elk and the antelope naturally disap- 

 blamed. And there is in so many re- pear from cultivated regions. They 

 spects the same prejudice when every would not be tolerated when found de- 

 cultured man or woman who has traveled stroying the crops. 



and knows anything about the 'foreign j n England there are big places where 



system' knows it is practical. How many [ t [ s i ega l to have game as a food crop, 



methods scoffed at and objected to in the There are also small farms which have 



fullness of conceit and ignorance have an abundance of game because it is not 



been eagerly adopted since the war came criminal to sell the food ; and the still 



home to this country ? Everyone knows poorer classes are permitted to shoot and 



when any one wants a good gamekeeper trap t h e migratory fowl on all public 



he looks for a Scotchman or an English- wa ters and marshes just as fishermen and 



man. Why ? Because they know their ystermen are permitted to take and sell 



business." fish a nd oysters. We would advise Mr. 



In America it is perfectly legal to ere- Burnham to read a little book written 

 ate a big cattle or sheep ranch or a vast by Captain (Dates, a retired British offi- 

 wheat or hay farm and even to drain a cer, who decided to live in the country 

 large area in order to intensively culti- and secured a small farm. He describes 

 vate it. Such industry if no attention be how he quickly produced a lot of wild 

 given to the game necessarily results in ducks enough for his own and his friends' 

 the extermination of the game birds. The shooting and he says by marketing some 

 wild ducks disappear from the drained of the ducks shot he about paid his ex- 

 area, the grouse and the quail cannot penses. There is plenty of room in 

 exist on vast pastures or grazing lands America for retired officers and many 

 where their natural covers and foods are others of moderate means to have inter- 

 extirpated. Big wheat farms where esting country homes and in places 

 every wild rose and sunflower are where such people are not hounded by 



