180 THE GAME BREEDER 



It is evident also that the birds cannot agation or for food. I have no doubt 



survive if gunners shoot the stock birds that on a preserve containing a few 



left by vermin, and it is certain they thousand acres thousands of prairie 



must become extinct if their natural nest- grouse can either be shot and sold every 



ing sites and foods are extirpated for season or trapped and sold alive for 



good measure. propagation. 



One pair of grouse and its progeny The owner or renter of a farm should 



should produce over 4,000 birds in six be able to rent the shooting on a num- 



years if the nests contain the smallest ber of adjacent farms with the right to 



number of eggs above mentioned, pro- preserve strips of grass and food for 



vided there be no losses. The ratio of the grouse. The quail shooting is rented 



increase is geometrical and if the nests on large areas in North Carolina for 



should contain an average of fourteen from 6 to 10 cents per acre or about the 



eggs the total of course would be 6,000 amount of the taxes. At 10 cents per 



birds for the period named. Even with acre the annual rental is only $64 per 



the best of protection and care there annum for a square mile, and good game 



surely will be some losses but where the keepers have made the quail so tremen- 



covers are made even better than they dously abundant on these places that 



were under natural conditions, and thousands of birds are shot every season, 



where the foods are made more plentiful The quail thrive on mjany praiiries 



and are widely distributed it must 1 where the grouse occur and they can be 



evident that the grouse will tend to in- produced in big numbers on lands where 



crease far more rapidly than they did prairie grouse are properly looked after, 



when they were most abundant, provided provided abundant foods are supplied 



their natural enemies be much reduced and the birds are looked after properly 



in numbers. An English writer says the and fed in the winter. The destruction 



death of one stoat means the life of of natural enemies will result in the 



many grouse and we may be sure that rapid increase of both species on the 



the death of many enemies of various same ground. The grouse, undoubtedly, 



species means the life of many prairie will sell readily for several dollars each 



grouse. These grouse can be shot and and quail for at least one dollar each, 



marketed without any fear of extinction for many years to come, and until the 



from year to year. demand for live birds for propagation 



When grouse preserving was under- and for dead birds as food is fully met. 



taken in Scotland, a few score of years I have in mind a wide stretch of prairie 



ago, the birds rapidly became abundant in Illinois where I used to shoot snipe, 



and before long the annual rental of the On the east there is a road running 



grouse lands was larger than the amount north and south ; two or three miles to 



the lands could have been bought for be- the west is a parallel road and to the 



fore the birds were preserved. The in- north and south there are crossroads 



crease in late years, although the shoot- about three miles distant from each 



ing has been excessive, has been so great other. Through the center of the area 



that some writers believe the grouse have bounded by these four roads there is a 



been made over abundant and that a new slough with some wet land, on either side 



grouse disease which occurs some sea- but the land is excellent on the east and 



sons may be attributed to overcrowding, west sides of the slough and several 



Since the grouse are strong on the large farms extend from the roads to 



wing and, alternately whirring and sail- the slough. Some of the land, probably 



ing, they fly long distances late in the one-half, was unoccupied at the time 



season, it would not seem advisable to when I shot over it. I used to walk out 



attempt to breed them for sport on a from a small village about a mile fror^ 



small area ; possibly they might be bred the eastern boundary of the tract until 



for profit in especially attractive fields I came to a small bridge — which crosses 



where they had absolute quiet and they the slough. At this point I put shells 



might be trapped and sold alive for prop- in my gun and following the slough on 



