THE OREGON SPORTSMAN 51 



REED COLLEGE GAME REFUGE. 



BY 

 R. BRUCE HORSFALL 



During the past winter, from fifty to eighty wild water 

 birds have been living on Crystal Springs lake, which is a part 

 of the Eeed College Game Refuge. The greater number of ducks 

 are scaups or bluebills. There have also been a few teal, mallards, 

 spoonbills, baldpates, redheads, grebes, both pied-billed and 

 horned, coots, Wilson snipe, killdeer and one lone great blue 

 heron. The ducks keep well out toward the middle of the lake 

 during the day, but work along in shore toward night. 



The question of putting out food for the ducks and attract- 

 ing them to the lake has been attended to by Dr. W. C. Morgan. 

 Wheat has been kept on hand for ducks and it has not taken them 

 long to learn where to go for food. 



This splendid lake is within the limits of the city of Portland 

 and an effort will be made to give careful protection to the wild 

 birds here in the hope that within a few years they will be tame 

 enough to eat out of the hand. In Golden Gate park in San 

 Francisco where birds have been carefully protected for years, 

 flocks of ducks, geese, coots and other birds are so tame that they 

 furnish, a great attraction. 



The birds soon recognize places where they are given protec- 

 tion and food. At Titusville, Florida, where the hotels allow no 

 shooting within certain limits, the scaup ducks take bread from 

 the hands of people sitting in boats or upon the wharves, while 

 beyond the "dead-line" these same ducks are so wild that one 

 cannot get within gun shot. The same conditions prevail at Lak<j 

 Worth, Florida. In the middle of New York City, wild mallards, 

 recognizing the absolute freedom from molestation, nest about 

 the shores of the little lakes in Central Park where thousands of 

 people pass daily. 



Quite a number of Hungarian partridges, bob-white and val- 

 ley quail have been liberated on the Reed College Game Refuge 

 by the Fish and Game Commission. It is hoped careful protection 

 will be given these birds so they will increase. Chinese pheasants 

 are already very common. Some silver-gray squirrels are also 

 to be liberated in the groves about Reed College. 



