560 
FOREST AND STREAM 
Nov. 2, 1912 
Shooting Conditions in Different States 
In Fuller Detail, as Promised Last Week 
twenty species that were not found in the earlier 
list 
As might be imagined from what we know 
of the geography of the State of Michigan, its 
bird population is large and the number of species 
considerable. Michigan ornithologists, and espe¬ 
cially members of the Michigan Ornithological 
Club, have been cordial in their efforts to assist 
Prof. Barrows in preparing this volume, as have 
also many ornithologists throughout the United 
States, notably members of the Biological Sur¬ 
vey in Washington. 
The volume opens with an introduction 
which lays an admirable foundation for the ex¬ 
cellent material to follow. This introduction 
deals with climate, distribution of plant and ani¬ 
mal life, with bird life in Michigan and recent 
changes in that life, points out how to study 
birds, gives an example of the use of the keys and 
concludes with an interesting discussion of migra¬ 
tion and then an artificial key to the larger groups. 
The list of the birds follows. The bird’s 
name comes first, followed by popular synonyms 
and a reference to plate or figure; then are given 
its distribution, a compact account of its habits 
and finally a technical description of the species. 
A key for use with specimen precedes each 
family and will be found very useful. There 
are six appendices devoted to additions and cor¬ 
rections ; a hypothetical list, a bibliography, glos¬ 
sary of technical terms, outline and classification 
of North American birds and a list of contribu¬ 
tors. The work concludes with a full index. 
The volume is one of very great usefulness to 
all ornithologists, and no one at all interested 
in the bird life of the Middle West can afford 
to be without it. 
Sportsmen will feel a peculiar interest in 
Prof. Barrows’ remarks on the game birds—espe¬ 
cially the gallinaceous birds—whose story is a 
sad one. The wild turkey has been exterminated. 
The willow ptarmigan—always rare—is no longer 
found in Michigan. The spruce partridge, once 
common, has disappeared with the forests from 
most of the land. The prairie chicken, formerly 
abundant, is almost gone and only a very, very 
few sharptail grouse remain. Bobwhite, through 
over-shooting and severe winters, has grown 
much scarcer, though still abundant in some 
localities in the southern part of the State. 
Prof. Barrows speaks of the enormous ser¬ 
vice of the quail in consuming immense quan¬ 
tities of harmful insects during the warmer half 
of the year, and the fact that it feeds on the 
seeds of weeds, which are among the worst 
enemies of the farmer. He adds: “If the farmer 
had a little more foresight he would keep his 
acres well stocked with these birds, feeding them 
about his barns and strawstacks during severe 
winters, and posting his land to prevent shoot¬ 
ing without permission. Under such conditions 
he could get all the benefit to be derived from 
the presence of the birds during the summer, and 
might still give his friends good shooting in the 
fall or even rent the shooting privilege under 
certain restrictions, as is sometimes done in other 
parts of the country.” 
1 he only one of the non-migratory game 
birds which is in any degree holding its own is 
the ruffed grouse, of which two forms—the com¬ 
mon and the northern—appear to be found. 
“Get your principles right,” said Napoleon, 
“and the rest is a matter of details.” 
Alabama. 
Montgomery, Ala., Oct. 2 3 .— Editor Forest 
and Stream: Alabama has always been a great 
game State, and under the operation of the game 
law system now in force, every species of native 
birds and animals have increased. 
Deer are found in more than fifty counties. 
These animals are fairly abundant along the 
rivers in the southern portion of the State. 
Black bear occur in the counties of Baldwin, 
Mobile, Washington and Clarke. They are fre¬ 
quently hunted by sportsmen who succeed each 
year in bagging quite a number of these animals. 
Wild turkey have been seen within the last 
year in all of our counties. That provision of 
the law restricting the killing of this, the most 
aristocratic birds of the forest, to gobblers, has 
caused turkeys to rapidly increase. 
Squirrels are to be found everywhere. These 
animals, however, are not generally hunted by 
sportsmen. 
Doves are quite plentiful and are a much 
sought after bird during August and September 
of each year, when large numbers are killed. 
Duck shooting is fine along the rivers and 
in the bays during the fall and winter. For the 
last few years the flights have been exceptionally 
heavy, and ducks have been inclined to remain 
in Alabama for a longer period than before. 
Wild goose shooting is a fascinating sport 
enjoyed annually in the Tennessee River that 
runs through the northern portion of Alabama. 
Wild geese spend a great portion of the day on 
the mussel shoals, only leaving the river to feed 
in the early morning or late afternoon. 
A few woodcock are killed each year. 
Snipe and plover, during the spring, are very 
abundant. 
The most popular game bird of Alabama is 
the quail. These birds are found in great abund¬ 
ance in every section of the State. Quail shoot¬ 
ing is enjoyed by Alabama sportsmen with the 
keenest zest possible. Many bevies are now 
found within the limits of incorporated cities and 
towns. The practice of trapping and netting 
these birds, and the shipping of them out of 
the State to Northern markets has been abso¬ 
lutely stopped. For many years shippers of 
quail thrived in Alabama. They had agents in 
nearly all of the counties who collected the live 
birds and expressed them to the concentrating 
point from which they were transported alive to 
restock the depleted fields and to be served on 
the tables of the restaurants in distant States. 
The pursuit of quail possesses many fasci¬ 
nations. It is in the enjoyment of this sport 
that the well-trained pointer and setter can be 
seen to best advantage. The thrill that pervades 
the being of the happy hunter when his dogs 
make game, the delight that is his when with 
two well directed shots he brings down “a 
double” on a bevy rise, the sport he enjoys in 
seeing his dogs pick up the “singles” furnishes 
recreation incomparable. 
Quail are most highly esteemed by our peo¬ 
ple as an elegant article of diet, and their num¬ 
bers have so largely increased that they are 
found in practically every spot adapted to their 
habits. 
By reason of the fact that quail are found 
in such great abundance, Alabama has come to 
be the field trial center of the American conti¬ 
nent. John H. Wallace, Jr., 
State Game and Fish Commissioner. 
Arizona. 
Winslow, Ariz., Oct. 9.— Editor Forest and 
Stream: The northern part of Arizona being 
mountainous, big game is very plentiful, such as 
bear, deer and turkey, and very few hunters go 
out from this section of the country but what 
get the limit on deer and some turkey, and occas¬ 
ionally a bear. Ducks are also very plentiful 
and some geese during the fall and winter. 
Other game such as mountain lion, timber 
wolves and bobcats are also too plentiful for the 
stock interests of the country, and there is also 
big game such as mentioned above in nearly all 
parts of the State, but more abundant in the 
northern part. Quail, dove and white wings are 
very plentiful in the southern part. 
Chas. M. Bledsoe, Marshal. 
Georgia. 
Atlanta, Ga., Oct. 8. —Editor Forest and 
Stream: Never in the history of the State have 
game birds been so numerous, particularly quail 
or bobwhite, and partridges. For two seasons 
past the hatching conditons have been ideal. 
Forest fires that have in the past destroyed more 
birds, nests and eggs probably than anything 
else have not been so numerous and destructive 
on account of the frequent rains. While the 
hatching seasons have been favorable, the 
weather has been unfavorable and too wet for 
hunting, with the result that birds have multi¬ 
plied amazingly. As many as three broods have 
been hatched off by the same pair this season, 
and nearly all of them are healthy, and the first 
hatch is now large enough to kill. 
The statement that bobwhites are more nu¬ 
merous now than ever before in the State might 
be questioned by those who will argue that they 
must have been more plentiful years ago before 
pointer and setter dogs and shotguns and good 
shots were so numerous, but there are two rea¬ 
sons why the birds then were not as numerous 
as now. In former years, before we had in this 
State what is known as the stock law, swine 
ranged at large in all of the State, and they 
found more partridge nests than any other 
enemy, and of course destroyed every egg, and 
often the very young birds. Then the forest 
