Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1896-01-31
protection of partridaes,-Tbe yir

protection OF Partr1dges.-The Viz
ginia Legislature has passed bill for the
protection of cartridges, which provides that
it shall be unlawful to kill or capture any
partridges Tor quail) iE that State for the
period of two years, or to offer for sale or
buy any of these birds so unlawfully killed
or captured within the aforesaid periol. If
the Governor approves the bill, it will be-
come law, and it need hardly be said that
it is law which is greatly needed. In the
opinion OF many sportsmen, the partridge
is the finest game bird we have in this Coun-
try, and no man who has ever spent week
in the woods and fields of Virginia or North
Carolina in the crisp November days and
enjoyed the sport as only Il true sportsman
can enjoy it will regret that the law will
extend its protection to his iavorite, Bob
White" 1t is a pity that the pot hunters
have made such great slaughter of the birds,
and that laws designed to prevent them
from shooting for the market" have utterly
failed to accomplish any practical results.
| Twelve or fifteen years ago birds were com
paratively plentiful in Virginia, and good
shot could make fine bag in II day in al
most any Of the counties. But the pot hum
tiers found that there was steady demand
for cartridges in the restaurants of the large
cities, and then systematic slaughter be-
gan. The true sportsman would not shoot
was after results, not sport, and his object
was to bag whole covey az shot ii he
could. If he did not succeed in this, he
would follow the birds when the covey was
once flushed until the last one had been
killed. But, despite this merciless slaugh.
ter, there would still have been enough
birds left for breeding purposes had it not
been for the severe cold weather of the win
ter of 1894 '95. There was every promise
in Virginia then of fair seasons shooting,
and the sportsmen made the most Of the
first two months in which it was lawful to
shoot birds. But then came succession of
SHOWS. For weeks at time the ground was
mantled in white, hard frozen, and the cold
was more intense than is usual in Virginia.
Partridges could get no food, and so they
died by thousands. Many covcys were
found stiff frozen and last fall there was
practically no shooting in Virginia In
some of the counties in the southern section
of the State, where the birds used to be
plentiful, the farmers reported that last
spring they did not hear even once the
CHEEKY whistle OF Bob White as he courts
- k,I ti,.an I'll
May mornings If the Governor approves
the bill, and all true sportsmen hope that he
will, there will be enough birds in two years
time TO make the stubbe fields OF the Old
Dominion an inviting spot for those who
shoot for sport alone and who appreciate
the fine qualities of the sturdiest and most
attractive little game bird on our North
American continent-Balt0 Sun.
Theaters in washington this Week.
Lafayette Square Opera House-The Lady
Slavey.
New National Theater-The Gay Paris
ians.
Academy of Musc--Donnelly and Girard.
Kernans Theater-Russel Bros Come
dians.
Next week
Lafayette Square Opera House-Roand
| Reed.
Aliens Grand Opera House-Northern
Light.
New National Theater-The Famous Bos.
tonians.
Academy of Music-rhe Derby Winner.
Kernan's Lyceum Theater-The Vaude-
vile Club.