The Portland daily press., 1890-04-30
The Cost.

The Cost.
81 find the birds recently shipped to Ger
many have cost $l2 each for capercailzle aud
81 for black game. These prices seem to me
high. found, however, that many of the
birds are injured in snaring, and many more
| die after few days confinement. Birds
| suitable for export, and for which the above
| prices are asked, are all strong, full grown
birds, without injury or blemish. They are
kept for a considerable time in captivity,
and are, in fact, nearly half domesticated be-
| fore they are considered suitable to ship on
| long voyage, so that the prices may, per-
haps, be only fair compensation for labor
and time and the inevitable large mortality
among the birds during the earlier part of
their captivity. believe that at least 100
birds of each species should be shipped to
give the experiment fair trial. In case we
can obtain no reduction in the price this will
make:
One hundred capercailzle, at S12.......SI20o
One hundred black game, at $7............. 700
Total ................,.... $1,000
"The birds must be placed.in roomy coops,
OF the best construction, and not crowded.
They must have light and airy position on
shipboard, and some one should be sent to
take charge of them, or some sailor or stew
ard on board must be specially instructed, so
as to properly feed and care for them. The
expense of building the coops, of freight,
lCs
which must be added freight and expenses
from the American port of landing to the
destination So that, allowing for all contin-
gencies, sum of $4,000 will be required for
the undertaking.
Where Shall the Experiment Be Tried?
sit seems to me the National Yellowstone
Park is the proper place to first liberate
these birds, and to make the first attempt to
aa0iin1 o. oti1o than eo;I he
never had the pleasure of visiting this grand
park, but If the accounts i have read are
correct there are to be found within its
borders hillside forests, we'll watered,
which, will furnish these birds with all
needed shelter and food. In the National
government against poachers. The only OBJ
lection to the park is the long journey by
land necessary to reach it; and this, added
to the long sea voyage. might be more than
the birds could endure. However, upon the
arrival of the birds in New York, proper
person could decide whether they were in a
ht condition to stand the western trip. If
they were not, there are hundreds of places
within twenty-four hours of the Atlantic
where the birds could be liberated with ad-
vantage.
''Should our government be willing to try
this experiment with liberal hano, other
shipments could be made, land separate fiocks
OF capercailzie and black game be set free in
uHleIenI SECTIONS OF tn6 Union. Inc great
forests of northern Maine, the Adirondack
region in New York, the Allegheny Mount
aims, and the woods of eastern Minnesota
would be especially adapted for this purpose.
Il have made the matter of the introduc-
tion of the capercailzie and black game into
my native land the study of leisure hours for
many years, and have sought information
which would throw light upon the under
taking from every available source. And it
is only now, when am convinced that sue
cess is reasonably certain, that l venture to
recommend the experiment.
lit appears to me that If we take into con-
sideration the value of these birds as arti-
cles Of food, the great size of one of them,
the hardy qualities of both species, their
no~seSt to Withstand cold and snow and the
ntmosIive tn Iivegors Of our climate. and their abil-
lty 70 ~ oand thrive upon the coarsest pro-
kducts, u i--ur forests. which products now
VaIgeHs 20 to waste-it appears to me, say,
tzAessi these considerations together are
amp %1suficient to warrant our giving the
acclimatization of the capercailzie and black
game in America fair and thorough trial.
''For my own part, it will be labor of
love to assist. in every way in my power, any
effort to add these noble birds to the fauna
of America"