262 
FOREST 
AND. STREAM 
June, 1921 
AUDUBON SOCIETIES’ STAND 
k, ON QUAIL 
To the Editor of Forest and Stream: 
I AM inclosing herewith a copy of a let- 
ter written by me to Representative 
Simon F. Zook, of Pennsylvania, who 
has introduced a bill in the Legislature 
of that State to put the Quail on the 
songbird list and who wrote inviting 
me to appear before his committee in 
the interests of the bill. My reply to 
him may be regarded as representing 
the attitude of the National Associa- 
tion of Audubon Societies on the sub- 
ject and I shall be very glad if you feel 
free to publish this in Forest and 
Stream. 
From my standpoint I regard it as 
extremely important that the out-of- 
door men of America should have 
brought strongly to their attention the 
fact that this association does not, and 
never has, desired to protect Quail by 
putting it on the songbird list where it 
would always be withdrawn from the 
realms of field sports. 
T. Gilbert Pearson. 
April 2, 1921. 
Mr. Simon F. Zook, 
House of Representatives, 
Harrisburg, Pa. 
My Dear Mr. Zook: 
Your letter of March 31, inviting me 
to appear before the Game Committees 
of the Pennsylvania House of Repre- 
sentatives on April 5 in support of your 
bill to put the Quail on the “songbird 
list” reached me this morning. 
The National Association of Audu- 
bon Societies does not advocate the 
placing of the Quail on the “songbird 
list,” and this is the attitude it has al- 
ways held. As historic evidence of the 
fact that we regard this bird as strict- 
ly a game bird I may mention that in 
the old “Model Law” prepared by the 
American Ornithologists’ Union, and 
which, as a result of campaigns insti- 
tuted by workers of this association, 
was adopted in forty-one states includ- 
ing Pennsylvania, the group of birds to 
which the Quail belongs is specially de- 
clared to be game birds. In most states 
this bill was known as the Audubon 
Bill, and in many places today is known 
as the Audubon Law. 
If the ordinary safe-guards thrown 
around a game bird, such as bag limit, 
limited shooting season, non-sale, and 
other usual precautions do not prove 
sufficient in preventing the numbers of 
the species from becoming unduly de- 
pleted then it should be protected by a 
closed season of a few years’ duration 
in order to allow the bird to recuperate 
in numbers. 
A law placing the Quail on the song- 
LETTERS, 
QUESTIONS 
AND ANSWER 
bird list, or in other words giving it 
perpetual closed season, is nicely to 
nave a tenuency to defeat tne very ob- 
ject for which the bill was enacted. 
The class of people who has taken most 
interest in tins bird in the United 
States is the organized sportsmen. In 
many states these bodies, representing 
thousands of good, worth-while citizens, 
in order to perpetuate their opportuni- 
ties to go afield with gun and dog, have 
expended much time and large sums of 
money in feeding Quail during periods 
of heavy snows and have also been re- 
sponsible for the introduction of tens 
of thousands of Quail for the purpose 
of restocking depleted coveys. Many 
of these organizations are also active 
in apprehending and reporting those 
who kill the Quail by illegal methods 
or at unseasonable times. 
It is my opinion that especially in 
many of the northern and central 
states the Quail today would be almost 
as rare as the Passenger Pigeon if it 
had not been for the efforts of the 
Game Protective organizations of 
sportsmen who have long been the chief 
active force in securing and encourag- 
ing the enforcement of laws for its 
preservation. If in attempting to pro- 
tect Quail the bird is removed for all 
time from the list of birds that may 
ever be hunted, you virtually take from 
it the solicitous protective influences of 
the one large class of our citizens who 
has done most for its protection in the 
past. 
This association has many fights 
with sportsmen’s organizations on the 
subject of whether the Bobolink, 
Meadowlark and some other birds 
should be regarded as game birds. 
However, the wise directors of an or- 
ganization working for reform do not 
allow their zeal to carry them beyond 
the boundaries of their true functions 
and objects. 
My experience has been that in most 
instances the fortunes of the Quail may 
with a fair degree of safety be left in 
the hands of the game protective asso- 
ciations who have an intense personal 
interest in the preservation of the spe- 
cies. 
If it comes to a fight for recognition 
of proprietorship of the bird between 
the land-owners on one side and the 
people who desire to hunt them on the 
other, and in which, therefore, the for- 
tunes of the Quail occupy a secondary 
consideration, the matter assumes a lit- 
tle different aspect, and yet the well- 
being of the bird is still at stake. 
You may always count upon the sup- 
port of this organization to fight to the 
limit of its powers any factors which 
threaten the continued existence of all 
desirable species and if the status of 
the Quail in your state demands a 
closed season for a term of years to in- 
sure its protection we shall be glad to 
lend our support to a bill to attain this 
end. 
Regretting that I do not feel at lib- 
erty to accept your invitation, permit 
me to remain. 
Very truly yours, 
T. Gilbert Pearson, 
President. 
HIKING IN THE CATSKILLS 
To the Editor of Forest and Stream: 
T HE Catskills of New York hold 
many advantages for the health 
seeker who desires to spend his vaca- 
tion in a region where he can hike 
about the hills and fields and thus gain 
the strength that a life in the open 
imparts. In many ways the Catskills 
are more like the Scottish Highlands 
than any other of our American moun- 
tain groups. Old, the Catskills are, but 
their summits have been rounded and 
worn down until they seem young 
again, like the new growth trees spring- 
ing up on their sides. 
When we speak of the Catskills, we 
are really grouping two separate chains 
of mountains under one heading, as 
there are two groups locally known as 
the Eastern and Western Catskills. 
The Western group is slightly lower in 
height than the Eastern group, and 
forms the chain running along the 
West Branch of the Delaware River. 
The Eastern Catskills, of which Slide 
Mountain is the highest, are grouped 
near the headwaters and tributaries of 
the East Branch of the Delaware. 
The Catskills are somewhat circular 
in location, and the tourist who hikes 
through them may find it advantageous 
to follow the outside of the chain, going 
in among them from time to time. The 
southwest is a good direction to start 
from, roughly following the West 
Branch of the Delaware until that bul- 
wark of the Western Catskills is reach- 
ed, Mt. Utsayantha, after which the 
country to* the west and northwest 
slopes away in undulating hills like the 
marches of northern England. 
Indeed, except for the numerous 
lakes that add so much to the scenery 
of Scotland, this region of the Catskills 
might well be a bit of the Highlands. 
«i ’V rsf 
