FOREST AND STREAM 
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game, such as pheasant, grouse, quail and the 
like, but that the perpetuation of these species 
lies in a systematic feeding of the game by 
private landowners and sporting organizations. 
He has addressed the following letter on the 
subject to a local newspaper office, which, of 
course, is intended to reach those interested in 
the preservation of the game. 
Dear Sir: I am writing you today as secre¬ 
tary of your sportsmen’s organization and desire 
to call your attention to a matter that seems to 
us to be of vital importance to the welfare of 
the game, and therefore, to all sportsmen. I 
refer to the feeding of our wild game, especially 
birds, during winter time. During the past sev¬ 
eral years I have been collecting data relative 
tp the possibilities of artificial game production 
and propagation; I have written to those in 
authority in almost every state in this union; 
I have written to many individuals; I have visited 
various game farms, both public and private, 
and while I am compelled to recognize the fact 
that game of various kinds can to a limited ex¬ 
tent be produced upon the game farms, I am 
satisfied the cost of production in this way far 
exceeds any hope of return. I have collected 
data that beyond question satisfies me that nei¬ 
ther the ring-neck pheasant nor the Hungarian 
quail is a “budder”; that is, can secure their 
food from the tree tops as do our native grouse, 
when the ground is covered with ice and snow. 
I am convinced that these birds must be cared 
for artificially during the winter time if we hope 
to preserve them; I am satisfied that in many 
ways they are not to be compared with our 
native birds—with our grouse or our wild turkeys, 
or with our quail—but all must be fed. 
The Game Commission is satisfied that far 
more good will come to the state and to the 
sportsmen through the maintenance and care of 
our native birds than can be secured in any other 
way, and with that end in view, I ask your 
organization to help the officer in your district 
to locate coveys of quail after the close of the 
season, bunches of wild turkeys or of grouse, so 
that they may be fed during the coming storms 
of winter. Our officers are instructed to get 
in touch with your organization regarding -this 
matter and I hope you will understand we are 
trying to help you and that in turn you will do 
what you can to help us. We will pay for feed, 
but the limited funds at our command will not 
justify the employment of agents to feed the 
birds. This feeding, if possible, must be done 
through organizations. 
Respectfully, 
JOSEPH ICALBFUS, 
Secretary Game Commission. 
GOOD GAME CONDITIONS IN VERMONT. 
Wells River, Vt., Dec. 7, 1914. 
Editor, Forest and Stream: 
December 1 closed the deer season in Vermont 
with good results for some of the hunters and 
bad for a good many deer. Part of the season we 
had plenty of snow for tracking; about eleven 
inches here. The county paper for Nov. 25 
says there have been 1,113 deer reported at the 
office of J. W. Titcomb, state fish and game 
commissioner. That is 179 more than were re¬ 
ported at the same time last year. 
There have been quite a number of deer killed 
around here. Partridge are thicker than they have 
been for years, and there seems to be a lot 
of rabbits. 
If you can tell anything by tracks, foxes must 
be plenty as I saw a lot of tracks when I was 
out hunting. We had some fine days for run¬ 
ning foxes in the deer season, but we aren’t 
allowed to be out with a dog then. I was out 
with another fellow Thanksgiving day and we 
found a fine eight point buck, that had been shot. 
It would have dressed 200 lbs. The meat was 
spoiled. 
I have just received a copy of the biennial re¬ 
port of the State Fish and Game Commissioner. 
They are surely doing good work: they have 
taken in a lot of money in the way of fines and 
I hope they will keep it up. There is one thing 
I don’t like and that is, paying for damage done 
by deer. I have never seen a deer do very much 
damage but perhaps they do. One man has a 
very large fruit orchard and has quite a bill, 
and may be the deer did do the damage—I can’t 
say—but there is another who brought in a bill 
for $1.75 for damage done to vegetables. That 
looks small; if I could have deer around where 
I could see them I would gladly plant a vegetable 
garden for them. 
The Commissioner suggests putting a fence 
around gardens and orchards to keep the deer 
out. That would be a good idea and would be 
cheaper for the -state and better for the deer. 
I heard of one man who sent for the game 
warden to come to his place and see the damage 
the deer had done to his young apple trees; 
The warden went, and the man took him out 
and showed him how they had eaten the small 
branches and broken some of the trees down. 
The warden asked him how he knew it was deer 
that did it. “Why, you can see the tracks,” he 
answered. All the tracks the warden could find 
were young cattle tracks, so the matter was 
dropped. GEO. H. MURPHY. 
SPORTSMEN AND THEIR ASSOCIATIONS. 
Hendersonville, N. C., Dec. 5th, 1914. 
Editor, Forest and Stream: 
Dear Sir: 
It is with no little interest I have read the 
article of George B. Clark of Boston, Mass. 
The tone of the article is that of a fair-minded 
sportsman. 
As far as I know, or am capable of forming 
an opinion, the sportsmen of this country have 
very largely contributed to the building up of 
right ideas regarding bird and animal life—con¬ 
servation as it should be. 
It is quite true that great numbers of wild 
pigeons were destroyed by “game hogs”—few by 
real sportsmen and the line should be sharply 
drawn between the two. 
With the sportsmen it is not all to kill, and 
Mr. Clark is evidently among the number. 
The “sport” or “game hog” cares nothing 
for the future, and is very largely the course 
of the destruction of our game animals and birds; 
but let us be just and keep the two from getting 
mixed in our minds. 
•I hope Mr. T. Gilbert Pearson, who, I know 
very pleasantly, will take occasion to show that 
the Audubon Society acknowledges the support 
of sportsmen throughout the country, and that 
the Society do'es not desire to curtail the pleasure 
that all true sportsmen derive by days in wood 
and field. 
The sportsmen who gave their money to obtain 
pheasants—a bird never in this country till im¬ 
ported by them—have a just right in shooting 
these birds during the open season, according to 
the laws passed in regard to them. Those who 
desire to have pet birds of a like kind can get 
them and care for them. 
I can well remember when I could take my 
dog and gun and go out almost anywhere and 
bring back a half dozen partridges (quail) or 
a dozen in a few hours—all I wanted. 
Now one is confronted by trespass signs at 
every turn and why? The “sport” is the cause. 
The man who banged at any and every bird he 
could see regardless of cattle or anything else 
in the direction of his aim. The farmers were 
compelled to post their lands for this reason. 
I am quite sure that sportsmen are with the 
Audubon Society in its valuable work and have 
been the society’s best friends, and I trust that 
this feeling is reciprocated by the society. 
ERNEST L. EWBANK. 
TO A RUFFED GROUSE SEEN IN THE 
WINTER WOODS. 
By Robert Page Lincoln. 
Still while about me all so soundless lies; 
You have arisen—thundering away, 
And weary standing, with appraising eyes, 
I have beheld thee in the vanishing day! 
Like some sad shape, forsaken and alone, 
Last figure of a proud, ennobled clan; 
So rising you have from me wildly flown, 
Fading from sight in Winter’s twilight wan! 
On wide-spread wings, a bolt of lightning: 
One moment seen—another moment gone; 
So all alone I watch but none can bring 
Back to my breast again Faith’s ruddy dawn! 
Search for yourself some better forest home; 
Far from man’s cruel, impoverishing hand; 
And in some wild, where only shadows roam, 
There call around you a decreasing band! 
For me no more yon sunny slopes to tread; 
Where red and gold of autumn linger round; 
As springing forth, my gun shall cast no lead, 
No more to pick thine from the leafy ground. 
But as with heart ensaddened so to see 
Your misty wings fold in the sunset fire—- 
Or fade away to Lands of Memory, 
Thundering past the Heaven’s burning spire! 
