April io, 1909.] 
FOREST AND STREAM 
577 
were allowed to run at large, al¬ 
though a small hawk once struck 
at a quail, but missed. 
At Sutton the pens were so ar¬ 
ranged that the birds were not so 
accessible to cats. Two were 
killed by snakes and twelve dis¬ 
appeared from unknown causes. 
.\t Winchester bluejays were seen 
for the first time to kill very 
young pheasants. 
Interesting Traits Developed. 
Among the many interesting 
habits and eccentricities of these 
birds in domestication are the 
parental habits of the cock quail. 
A cock will sometimes incubate 
the eggs and also brood the young 
that are entrusted to his care, re¬ 
maining as faithful to his trust as 
the most devoted mother. The 
hens exhibit a tendency in some 
cases to continue laying and to 
neglect incubation. In igo8 a hen 
quail at Sutton laid 100 eggs, 
nearly all of which were fertile. 
Both grouse and quail under the 
care of Dr. Hodge have e.xhibited 
a surprising capacity for domes¬ 
tication. These birds have always 
been regarded as practically un¬ 
tamable, as endowed with an in¬ 
stinctive fear of man and an un¬ 
controllable tendency to revert to 
the wild state when reared in cap¬ 
tivity. 
Dr. Hodge finds that the young 
when properly handled have no 
fear whatever, 1 ut absolute confi¬ 
dence in mankind. His birds are 
as tame and confiding as the most 
domestic of pigeons or poultry. I 
have seen him approach and pick 
up one of his half-grown grouse 
which was running at large, and 
at least one grouse became so 
tame that a stranger could ap¬ 
proach it quietly and stroke its 
back. The birds w'hen turned out 
daily never wandered off the place 
and returned to their coop at 
night. If the doctor came out on 
the veranda and whistled to the 
quail, they would come flying in 
from all quarters of the compass 
and alight on the rail before him, 
ready to be fed. Who cannot see 
in such a scene a promise of ulti¬ 
mate success in our efforts to do¬ 
mesticate and multiply these beau¬ 
tiful and useful birds? 
The second generation of both 
the ruffed grouse and the bob- 
white have now been reared in 
confinement or under conditions 
of domestication. In this we can 
see a promise of ultimate success, 
for when the eggs of birds reared 
in confinement produce vigorous 
young which live and thrive under 
the same artificial conditions that 
surround their parents, there is 
hope for continued propagation. 
QU.\IL IN WINTER PEN. 
QUAIL REARED BY THE MASSACHUSETTS COMMISSION. 
RUFFED GROUSE IN WINTER PEN. 
From photographs by Superintendent Merrill. 
particularly when, as in this case, 
the same results are secured with 
the same species by two experi¬ 
menters in different localities. 
The fish and game commission¬ 
ers are determined to succeed and 
Dr. Hodge says that if necessary 
he will devote the remainder of 
his life to the task and bequeath 
it to his children. This optimistic 
spirit which perseveres undaunted 
by failure or discouragement is 
the best guarantee of final success. 
Edward Howe Forbush. 
New York Legislature. 
Assembly bill 1207, introduced 
on March ii by the committee on 
fisheries and game, has been re¬ 
ported back to the Assembly with 
a few changes. This provides for 
100 game protectors instead of 
eighty, as at present; a fifth and 
a sixth assistant chief game pro¬ 
tector, at a salary of $1,200 and 
traveling expenses, and four di¬ 
vision chiefs ($1,000 salary). It 
provides that civil service exami¬ 
nations for protectors of all 
grades shall be confined to coun¬ 
ties. 
The commissioner is empowered 
to make rules for all persons en¬ 
gaged in guiding on lands within 
the forest preserve counties. No 
person can act as a guide with¬ 
out a license. 
I he office of chief fire warden 
is abolished, but that of auditor 
of fire accounts is established, 
with salary of $1,800 and travel¬ 
ing expenses. 
Section 68, relating to fire 
patrol, is stricken out. Instead 
railways operating in forest pre¬ 
serve counties are to be required 
to organize and maintain at their 
own expense efficient fire patrols, 
but if they do not do so, the com¬ 
missioner may organize patrols or 
detail game protectors to this 
work at the expense of the rail¬ 
way companies. 
Sections 69 and 70, relating to 
fire wardens and fire districts, are 
stricken out. Instead provision is 
made for the division of forest 
preserve counties into fire dis- 
districts, and for the appointment 
of a superintendent of fires at a 
salary of $1,500 for each district, 
and the construction of fire breaks. 
Stringent rules and severe penal¬ 
ties are provided for negligence 
and carelessness in permitting fires 
to spread. 
Section 75a empowers the gov¬ 
ernor by proclamation to forbid 
hunting, fishing and camping' on 
State forest lands at times of 
drouth if such action is deemed 
advisable, and to extend the open 
season to another time. 
