CHAPTER XXIII 
THE ORDER OF UPLAND GAME-BIRDS 
G ALLIN AE 
It is natural that a country possessing the 
wide diversity of uplands that exists in the 
United States should possess a great variety of 
ground-dwelling birds. In response to the in- 
viting fields and forests, plains and mountains, — • 
cold and warm, wet and dry, — the birds of the 
Order Gallinae have greatly multiplied, both in 
number and in species. 
It is no wonder that men and boys like to 
hunt upland game-birds; and when the con- 
ditions are properly observed, it is right that they 
should do so. The natural death of a game- 
bird or quadruped is by shot or bullet, from the 
gun of a true hunter, who hunts only at the prop- 
er time, in a fair manner, and kills sparingly. 
Wherever game-birds are most plentiful, each 
hunter is in honor bound to kill only a small 
number, and give others a chance. 
If you arc a boy, or man, don’t be a “game- 
hog!” Shoot like a gentleman, or don’t shoot 
at all. If any species becomes so rare that it is 
threatened with extinction, stop killing it, and 
take measures for its complete protection until 
it has had time to recover. Above all, never 
engage in a “side-hunt,” which is a wholesale 
slaughter of wild creatures “for points,” and 
never tolerate one in your neighborhood. Side- 
hunting should be prevented, at the muzzle of 
breech-loaders, if necessary. 
Some of the most interesting hunting expe- 
riences ever recorded have been in hunting game- 
birds with the camera. If space were available, 
it would be a pleasure to record here the names 
of some of those who have made beautiful pict- 
ures .of ruffed grouse, pinnated grouse, wood- 
cock, ptarmigan and many other species. A 
fine bird photograph is a joy forever, but a bag- 
ful of dead birds disappears in an hour. 
The table below affords a bird’s-eye view of this 
Order as it exists north of Mexico: 
W 
< 
2 d 
•—I u 
J '3 
J 2 
< 2 
a 'o 
os 
o 
FAMILIES. 
Grouse Family: . . 
TET-RA-ON'I-DAE. 
Pheasant Family: . 
PH AS-I-AN' I-DAE. 
GROUPS. 
Quail 1 and Partridges: . . 
Grouse: 
Ptarmigan : 
EXAMPLES. 
! Virginia “Quail,” or Bob- White. 
California Mountain “ Quail.” 
California Valley “ Quail.” 
Mearns’ Partridge. 
Scaled Partridge. 
/ Ruffed Grouse. 
1 Canada Grouse. 
< Pinnated Grouse, 
i Sharp-Tailed Grouse. 
\ Sage-Grouse. 
Willow Ptarmigan. 
Turkeys: Wild-Turkey. 
e Ring-Necked Pheas- a 
Pheasants: ) ant. f Intro- 
All of the Old World only. ) Golden Pheasant. f duced. 
* Silver Pheasant. ' 
1 By technical writers the name “quail” is now 
considered as applying only to the members of a 
group of Old-World birds, much smaller than our 
quails; and our quails are called “partridges,” be- 
cause they are related to the Old-World birds of 
that name. But this is only another “ buffalo ” 
case. The good old name “ quail” is so universally 
known that no power on earth could supplant it, 
and in a work of this kind it would be folly to ignore 
it in favor of “ partridge,” even though the latter be 
more correct. 
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