270 
acres of forest land. It is proposed to surround 
these preserves with a single wire with notices 
of the reservation every too feet or so, the idea 
being that the wire will serve as a warning to 
hunters that they are the State reserves, the 
common sense and public spirit of the hunter 
being trusted to prevent him from entering or 
shooting game therein. There is to be an abso- 
lutely close season for all kinds of game in 
these preserves for six years, and, of course, 
the surrounding country will greatly benefit 
by the overflow of game from these refuges. 

Quail Abundant in Illinois 
According to reports from central Illinois, 
bob-white quail are very abundant thereabout 
this year. Large coveys are seen in every 
quarter section, and Bob White’s voice is 
loud in the land. If these reports are accurate, 
it would seem that Commissioner John A. 
Wheeler’s efforts to restock the State with quail 
have not been in vain—so far, for there is a 
shooting season at hand to be reckoned with. 
Commissioner Wheeler sends us some inter- 
esting information relating to the consignment 
of 5,500 English pheasant eggs imported by 
his department from a preserve in England 
and which were hatched at the State Game 
Propagating Farm, located twenty-three miles 
south of Springfield. The eggs were in transit 
from England to the game farm. ten days. 
The following table shows the result of th 
consignment: ; 
Number broken in shipping from pre- 

serve in England to game farm.... 8 
Number broken in unpacking, setting 
and: by. herig <5 ah nie ae ee 100 
Number not tertile 1.2. t= ee oe ae 809 
Namberofrotten egos: 55a ae 1,000 
Number crushed and killed by hens, one 
hen destroying 22 chicks that were 
placed with her. <2. se eee ee 583 
Number live, healthy chicks placed in 
TUNS “Withshensac ad ceca eye aes 3,000 
POtal cic sic eat eee ae oa ee 5,500 
There were also imported, this season, 135 
English ring-neck pheasants from a large 
preserve in England, the birds arriving at the 
game farm about two weeks after leaving the 
preserve. Five birds were lost out of this 
entire consignment. 
There are, at present, on the game farm, 
about 8,000 young English ring-neck and 
Chinese pheasants, besides a number of Mexican 
blue quail, a few wild turkeys and prairie 
chickens. The native bob-white quail and 
those bought in Alabama, Commissioner 
RECREATION 
Wheeler says, did not lay well in confinement, 
although his assistants brought out a few 
settings with bantam hens. The Mexican 
blue quail laid fairly well in confinement and 
a number of bevies were hatched out by bantam 
hens. 
One hundred and sixty-two thousand resident 
and 500 non-resident hunters’ licenses were 
issued during the year ended June 1, 1906, 
in this State. 

To Protect Mountain Sheep 
Game Warden W. E. Griffin, of New Mexico, 
did a creditable thing when he solicited the aid 
of the New York Zoological Society in his 
effort to preserve the band of mountain sheep 
in the Guadalupe Mountains in Eddy County, 
and which is said to be the only band of big- 
horns in the Territory. 
The territorial game law not providing a 
reward for the conviction of any one found 
guilty of illegally shooting mountain sheep or 
other game, and believing that the posting of a 
substantial reward would be an incentive and 
probably result in the conviction of violators 
of the law, Warden Griffin has succeeded in 
obtaining the offer of the above-named society 
to pay $50 each to any one for conviction for 
killing mountain sheep contrary to law in 
Texas or New Mexico. 

Against the Law 
Dr. Cecil French, of Washington, D. C., has 
given cause for wrath to many British Columbia 
sportsmen, according to advices from that 
province. A correspondent writes: 
“The following advertisement has appeared 
in many of the papers in this province: 
‘““‘Wanted for the Zoological Parks, living 
Rocky Mountain goats, marten, beaver, otter, 
grizzly bears, wolverines and other birds and 
animals.’ 
“Section 4 of the British Columbia Game 
Acts prohibits the export of any of the game 
mentioned in this advertisement, except in 
the case of a licensed, non-resident hunter, who 
is allowed to take out his own game. Bear, 
marten and otter are, however, allowed to be 
taken out of the province. The fine for a con- 
travention of this act is $100 for each offense. 
While many may try to send Dr. French what 
he asks for, they will do so at their peril, for 
the sportsmen of this province will see that the 
game wardens do their duty, and that the 
transportation companies are warned that a 
heavy fine awaits them if they carry any for- 
bidden game animals out of British Columbia. 
The principle we are fighting for is too sound to 
be broken.” 

