THES A.U:D,0'BO:N® BU ESE iste 
foe) 
kill and fail utterly to respect the rights of others who value the birds in a 
different way. But the real sportsman is a conservationist and has done 
more constructive work for bird protection than many bird lovers whose 
chief contribution has been talk and sentiment without action. Further- 
more, we may have many laws protecting birds but legislation is of little 
value without public opinion behind the laws placed on the statute books. 
Therefore, in the conservation of the prairie chicken in Illinois we need 
the combined efforts of all concerned, whether it is the sportsman who 
seeks this splendid game bird as an objective for outdoor recreation, the 
bird lover who sees in it an object of great aesthetic value, or the ornithol- 
ogist who is eager to preserve a unique species of great scientific interest. 
All of these groups have a common cause, the preservation of the prairie 
chicken. In Wisconsin it was the leaders of the sportsmen who imposed 
restrictions on the hunting of the prairie chicken and who were instru- 
mental in having the season closed during the past two years when the 
birds were scarce. We need the sportsmen of Illinois to help us, and if 
they are approached in the right way will be just as eager as the bird 
lover and the ornithologist to see a permanent closed season on the prairie 
chicken in the state, when it is clearly understood that the birds are in 
danger of extinction. 
We need to pull together if we are to save the prairie chicken of 
Illinois, from following the fate of its eastern relative, the heath hen, 
which today is on the brink of extinction. When the lone individual on 
Martha’s Vineyard Island dies, its race will also die, and let this be a 
warning to all those who wish to see the prairie chicken continue on the 
list of living Illinois birds. 
+. Gaile. 
The Last of His Race 
The photograph of the Heath Hen on the preceding page is a reminder 
that our game birds are steadily decreasing in numbers. Many species have 
woefully few individuals, and it is to be feared that many more will go the 
way of the Passenger Pigeon, Labrador Duck, Eskimo Curlew and the 
Great Auk. Drainage of marsh areas with the resulting decrease in nest- 
ing places seriously threatens the future of our wild fowl. Fur-bearing 
and game mammals are also in need of protection and our native landscape 
must be guarded carefully. Mr. Gross’ picture depicts the end of the trail 
for one more species. It should serve as a warning. Can we save the few 
remaining Prairie Chickens in I]linois ? 
