The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1882-12-13
For THE RECORD.
OUR GAME BIRDS.

LAMBERTYIILE, Dec. III, 1882.
1t isstill within the recollection Of many
of us when in every woods and thioket al
most could be found pheasants and quails
in great numbers, What has become Of
them 1t Isl well-known fact that they are
almost annihilated. Ispoke of the pleas
ant, should have said the Ruled Grouse
iBonasa umbellws), as this is the proper
name and should be called by no other,
for there are really no pheasants in North
America. We have not forgotten the
graceful movements of this bird. When
walking it is always with proud, firm
step and erect head aud when he spreads
his beautiful tail with sudden quick
jerk, he is without doubt, the most beau
tiful bird In all the United States. Did
you ever hear one drum? When the breed
ing season comes on in April, the male
selects the trunk Of some fallen tee early
in the morning or evening. Mounting
upon his perch he struts up and down
with head drawn back and tail expanded
and wings lowered till they touch the log.
He then beats his sides with his wings
violently, increasing the rapidity of the
movement at every stroke. This drum.
ming can be heard from considerable dis
tance aud what Is peculiar about II, the
sound often comes from different diroc.
tion from where the bird really is. They
are now very rarely seen, although ] be-
lieve one was shst on Goat Hill this win
ter, by one of our Lambortvillains. The
young follow their mother when but a
dag old and she evinces the greatest love
for them, covering them with her wings at
night and by low cluck, warning them
of the approach of danger. The old birds
at such times will even feigu lameness or
inability to fly, to distract attention from
the young birds and cause pursuit to be
made for them, in order to save their off
spring, and yet they have scarcely
friend. venture to say If there was but
one pair lett in our county, that no sports
man could resist the temptation to shoot
if they suddenly got up before him.
What shame
So of the Virginia Partridge (ortyr
Virginianus), generally known by the
name of quail in the Middle States In
the summer he used to jump on the fence
aud sing "Bob White" These pretty
birds too are almost extinct. Why is 1t that
our Legislators do not protect eur birds?
Laws are enacted to protect fish. Why
not our game birds After they shall have
entirely disappeared among rs it will BIO
too late to devise means for their protec-
ton. A law ought to be enacted, making
II a State Prison offsnse, for any one to
kill either of the birds have named for
the next seven years, and while l am about
It would also include that splendid bird
known as tho woodcock (PAilohela MINOR.
This bird is migratory and very generally
distributed throughout the United States.
The length of their stay in n neighbor
hood is very uncertain, and seems to de-
pend on the weather. In favorable loca-
tions they are sometimes found In very
cold weather, but this seldom. They
make their appearance generally the be-
ginning of March and remain until No
vomber. They migrate singly, and al
ways at night. In fact it is n nocturnal
bird and can see better then, than in the
broad glaze of the SUMS rays Some peo-
Pile think 1t very stupid bird, but from
my own observation, think it as cute as
any other. If disturbed in the breeding
season they W i'll throw themselves off their
nest and hobble along on the ground with
one wing apparently broken, in order to
attract attention from their nest. They
manage to keep few feet from you at
first and after while away they sail and
doubtless think to themselves how nicely
they fooled that ''lord Of creation" Many
a person has been fooled by them. Or
nithologists call this instinct, call 1t com
mon sense. From the fact of 1t being a
bird Of passage there is not as much dan
ger of its being exterminated as the
others have named. may have more
to say about the birds at some future day.
AMINIDAB.