89 
During the month of June a great swarm of chinch bugs and army 
worms swept across a piece of Illinois territory which included a part 
of the game farm where several thousand young pheasants were ranging. 
More than half the corn was completely destroyed in a field adjoining 
the game farm, while no impression whatever was made on the field 
where the young pheasants were ranging. During the entire day ,the 
young pheasants could be seen catching these pests, and at night they 
were uncomfortably gorged. In a comparatively short time the pheas- 
ants actually exterminated the bugs and worms. On the other side of 
the field occupied by the pheasants was a similar field where there were 
no pheasants. The vegetation in this field was well nigh destroyed. 
Cook House. 
The farmer, therefore, can well afford to give these birds some attention 
in the severe winter months. They are for him not only a thing of 
beauty, but a valuable asset for the destruction of bugs and insects of 
all kinds that damage his crops. 
The European partridge (Hungarian partridge), it is hoped, will 
prove a good substitute for our quail. He likes some cover but does not 
require as much as the quail, being more given to ranging in the open. 
Like the pheasant, he is a great insect eater. 
For the sportsmen he is a much better bird than the pheasant, as 
he can be found often by ranging setter or pointer in the open, where he 
will lie well to the dog’s point. He is somewhat larger than our quail 
and is very strong on the wing. 
