94 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[July 18, 1908 
Artificial Rearing of Game Birds. 
Boston, Mass., July 1 .—Editor Forest and 
Stream: The great increase in the number of 
hunters in southern New England makes the 
artificial propagation of game a necessity. 
Whenever a poor breeding season or a bad win¬ 
ter greatly reduces the numbers of the game 
birds, the numerous shooters give the birds little 
chance to recover their numbers in subsequent 
years, exen though the shooting seasons be 
shortened. 
A close season of five to ten years’ duration 
would give the birds a chance, but experience 
shows that no Legislature will pass such a law, 
and even were it passed and enforced a bad 
season at the end of the five or ten years might 
reduce greatly the number of the birds and 
nullify the effect of the law. Undoubtedly a 
continued close season for the entire year (1908) 
would have been effective, but it was impossible 
to secure this in the only two New England 
States which had legislative sessions this year. 
But, it may be asked, who except the gunner 
or sportsman is interested in the protection of 
game, and why should the general public con¬ 
cern itself in the matter? In reply to these 
questions it may be said, first, that the pursuit 
of game and its sale interest not only the hun¬ 
dreds of thousands of hunters in New England, 
but also their guides and boatmen, the dog deal¬ 
ers and breakers, the farmers on whose land 
the game ranges and feeds, the marketmen who 
sell the game, the hotel and restaurant keepers 
who serve it, the people who eat game, and last, 
but perhaps not least, that great body of nature 
lovers who enjoy seeing, hearing and watching 
the game, but never shoot at all. 
Also it is of the utmost concern to the whole 
people that game be conserved, otherwise people 
are sure to treat the insectivorous birds as game 
and kill them, and thus to destroy the best 
friends of the farmer and so indirectly increase 
his insect foes and render the cost of living 
greater to every man, woman and child. If you 
doubt that this danger to the small birds is a 
real one let me tell you that a gunner beating 
the meadows and finding no game birds shot 
thirty swallows for practice and never even 
picked up one, and that a party of sportsmen 
in New Hampshire shot into a flock of black¬ 
birds, killing nearly one hundred. Young men 
and boys who fail to find game must shoot some¬ 
thing, and so even the little chickadees suffer 
where game is scarce. While most real sports¬ 
men in this country would scorn to molest song 
birds, there are many gunners who are not so 
scrupulous. 
The dearth of game birds has caused our 
marketmen to look abroad for game, and the 
result is that our markets are now largely sup¬ 
plied from -Europe, where, after all the bird de¬ 
struction of many centuries, they still have game 
enough for their home demands and a great deal 
to spare for our use. England and Scotland teem 
with game birds and wildfowl. The question 
of game supply must be solved here, as there, 
by artificial propagation. Most native wild ducks 
and geese can be reared in confinement as easily 
as chickens. The young of our native upland 
birds are more tender and require greater care. 
They contract certain animal parasites and con¬ 
tagious diseases from poultry, and these diseases 
are far more destructive to game birds and tur¬ 
keys than to chickens or pheasants. But we 
must learn how to control these diseases or we 
must rear our native game birds where they will 
not be contaminated by nearby poultry. The 
Massachusetts commissioners on fisheries and 
game have experimented enough in rearing 
quail, grouse and turkeys to know the nature 
and cause of the diseases that infest the young 
birds. Year by year they are adding to this 
knowledge by further experiments. Last year 
animal parasites carried off the young birds. 
This year “chicken pneumonia” was the chief 
cause of their demise. Dr. C. F. Hodge, of 
Clark University, has been able to breed both 
quail and grouse, but cannot yet control fully 
their diseases. Dr. Shaw, of New Bedford; Mr. 
Coffin, of Whitinsville, Mass., and Wilton Lock- 
wood, on Cape Cod, are all engaged in rearing 
native game birds, and it now looks as if Massa¬ 
chusetts would lead the country in this new en¬ 
terprise. Plans are now under way looking to¬ 
ward the establishment of reservations for the 
protection and propagation of game birds and 
wildfowl where these birds will be defended 
against the hunter, their natural enemies and 
disease, and where they may increase in num¬ 
bers and restock the surrounding country. Such 
reserves will afford an opportunity to demon¬ 
strate the possibility of doing for the benefit of 
the public what has been done so long com¬ 
mercially in England in the way of breeding 
game birds. The complete success of all these 
experiments is certain eventually if they are 
only followed up with such persistency as is 
shown by inventors of automobiles and aero¬ 
planes. Whenever artificial propagation becomes 
feasible on a large scale, private preserves will 
be established in all the Eastern States. All 
the Atlantic coast States should be producing 
within a few years a liberal supply of game 
birds to replenish the depleted forests, streams 
and fens. 
Edward Howe Forbush, 
New _ England Agent National 
Association of Audubon Societies. 
Alfonso’s Game Preserves. 
It would seem that H. M., the King of Spain, 
was much impressed by what he saw in England 
last shooting season in regard to English methods 
of game preserving, and bringing game to the 
guns, and is desirous of turning his experience 
to good account in his own country. His private 
estate, known as the Casa de Campo, consists of 
two large parks, one of between 5,000 and 6,000 
acres, and another said to be seventy miles in 
circumference, fenced in with a high wall. 
Pheasants do well there, and red-legged par¬ 
tridges are numerous. With a view to increase 
the number of pheasants, and improve the shoot¬ 
ing generally, His Majesty has commissioned an 
English sportsman, W. W. Watts, to organize 
matters for the coming game season, and give 
the necessary instructions to the head keeoers. 
Mr. Watts has already taken over with him to 
Spain 2,000 pheasants’ eggs and a good supply 
of hens’ eggs and live fowls, so that if all goes 
well the shooting next season will be a revela¬ 
tion to Spanish snortsmen, especially if the keep¬ 
ers are instructed, as no doubt they will be, to 
get rid of some of the furred and feathered 
vermin which are said to be numerous.—The 
Field. 
Tiger Shooting in China. 
One of the most exciting moments I ha 
had in hunting occurred while tiger shooting- 
caves in Amoy, China. A friend and mys< 
had decided to try our luck with “stripes” 
the Amoy Hills, where we were told there we 
lots of tigers. We had out searching for gar 
several Chinese hunters who promised to 
us know as soon as they had found out a pla 
frequented by tigers. 
One day in March two of them called ai 
said they knew a place where we were sure 
get a shot at a tiger. We asked the hunte 
where we should spend the night. They sa 
they had made arrangements with a priest f 
us to stay at a temple. After a ride of abo 
three hours we arrived at the foot of a ran; 
of hills, and a good way up saw the small temp 
where we were to stay that night. Our be< 
were soon made and arrangements made f< 
dinner. The Chinese seem to have no scrupl 
at all, as we slept close alongside the altar. Th 
did not prevent the villagers from coming 
the early morning and burning their joss sticl 
to Buddha quite unconcerned at our presenc 
At the first sign of dawn, with our field glass' 
and rifles, we descended to the valley. As soc 
as it was possible to see we eagerly scanm 
the tops of the hills for a sign of the tiger 
In this part of the country it is customary fi 
them to return to their lairs at break of daw 
with their prey. As soon as a tiger was sighte 
he was carefully watched to see what cave 1 
entered. As soon as the tiger was located tl 
Chinese hunters were sent off to see if thei 
was any opening to the cave other than the or 
he had entered. After a few anxious momen 
the hunters returned and said there was n 
other entrance. We then tossed no for fir: 
shot because, as a rule, in these caves one ma 
only gets a shot. We proceeded to the plac 
where the tiger had entered the cave, tl 
Chinese hunters lighted their torches and prc 
ceeded to search for the tigers. 
We had to wait at the entrance of the cav 
as it was not desirable that all of us shoul 
enter it at once; it would make too much nois 
After a little time the man returned and sai 
the tiger had been located, and that it was 
tigress with two cubs. This made it much mor 
interesting, as the tigress was sure to sho- 
fight, on account of her cubs. 
We proceeded silently and in a single file t 
enter the cave. Some parts of it were so I0 1 
that we had to put our rifles through first an 
crawl on our hands and knees. In other parts 
opened out fairly wide. In the sand at on 
feet we could see the footprints of the tigre- 
and her cubs. After about ten minutes’ trave 
ing in this manner, with the torch man ahead, h 
pointed and nodded to show where the tisrres 
was. At this time we were in a chamber aUi 
ten feet square, just room for the four of u: 
two Chinese hunters with their torches an 
spears, my friend and myself. My friend, a 
he had first shot, was just in front of me wit 
one Chinese hunter on each side of him. H 
leaned forward to look down the cave towar 
the tigress, when she suddenly made one dasl 
put out the two torches and sprang at my frienc 
The moment the tigress did so my frien' 
sboped and dropped his rifle, so he could no 
fire. I took a rapid shot as the tigress spran: 
