Pierce, on Prairie Chicken in Central Iowa 
101 
aiiioiiiit of persecution it has undergoue, it has at last been put 
on the shelf as a game bird, and is now accorded the x^rotectioii 
it has so long deserved. The present Iowa legislation has been 
doing and will do a vast amount of good toward its increase. 
The lirst live-year ban (ending 1922) on shooting Prairie 
Chickens has been followed by a second live-year closed shoot- 
ing period, and it is to be hoped that this term may be again 
extended. 
In an early day, Iowa’s vast prairies stretched away on every 
side. The long, waving prairie grass formed the Prairie Chick- 
ens’ natural home, and here they made their nests and reared 
their little ones, quite nnmolested by hand of man. Of course, 
prairie fires were an inevitable danger, but these did not seem 
to be frequent enough to seriously affect their growth and ]3ros- 
perity. If man had not interfered, their existence would yet 
be envied. An ideal climate, an abundance of food, natural 
enemies not overwhelming, — what more could be desired? In 
the winter, too, they were able to cope with the weather. The 
long and very severe winters did not hold terrors for them, for 
when their summer home — the dense, heavy grass — became 
snow covered, they often burrowed under it and converted the 
matted growth into a snug retreat for the night. Some of these 
tunnels would reach a distance of ten feet. Thus housed and 
protected, what did the wise Prairie Chicken care if it was 
^‘blizzing” outside and the mercury did go down to forty 
below? The next morning he came out to feed on weed seeds 
and whatever else nature had provided for him. A sleet storm, 
though, must have presented some serious difficulties to this 
snow bird.” 
I am greatly indebted to Mr. Julius Gates, one of my neigh- 
bors, who has given me a great deal of valuable information 
regarding the Prairie Chickens’ past abundance and the meth- 
ods by which they Avere destroyed. Mr. Gates immigrated to 
this country in 1899, during a period when Prairie Chickens 
were trapped and marketed in immense quantities, and has for 
a half century been associated with this bird in the farming 
regions near Winthrop. 
Trapping Ib-airie Chickens in Iowa seemed to reach the 
zenith some time in the seventies. Every one in the country 
was apparently interested in trapping anff marketingi these 
noble birds. Nearly every farmer had an abundance of spare 
time during the winter months and was anxious to turn his 
