Weekly independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1887-1914, 1896-08-02
GAmA ijlitI;S GUING.
Quail and Prairie Chickens Arc
Growing Very Scarce.
IL some Steps To R~epienish tho stock In
ThtE Country Arc Not Taken They VIII
soon become Extinct Gun
Clubs Are to BlAme.

Western lovers Of that beautiful
sport, hunting wild game birds. must
bc well satisfied with the rigiluncc OF
the Illinois game warden, Mr.. blow,
aided by those gentlemen who hole sim-
liar positions in adjacent states. En-
crgetic as their efforts are, however, II
Is to be feared they come too ate To
save the prairie chickens (pinnated
grousc.) No measures, IL is certain,
can ever make them as plentiful on our
prairics us they were n quarter Of II
century ago. Even If their slaughter
were forbidden for n term of years, the
utmost vigilance ON the part 81
Mr.. Blow and his assistants
could not prevent the annual
destruction of large numbers.
Quail are becoming equally scarce, II
unless the different hunting clubs take
some steps to rcplcnish the stock. game
of the grouse family will soon become
extremely rare.
England has always been a great
game preserving country. but even
there, where the game laws orc very
stringent, IL has been found necessary
to import large numbers of birds from
foreign countries.
The dark-ncckcd pheasant Uphas-
ianus colchicus) has long rcigncd MS
the king of English game birds. This
pheasant was first brought from Asia.
but has been indigenous in England for
centuries. They are polygamus in
their habits, and as the brilliant plum
age of the male bird is in contrast tn the
sombcr brown Of - hen, good sports
men can easily C.at;nguish them apart
They invariably let tho females pass UNI
Icathcd, so that the supply is fairly we'll
maintained.
IL is impossible, however. when n
covcy OF cartridges gets up, tn distin-
guish the different sexes. SO hat both
male and female have to fall alike to the
uncrriug aim OF the English country
gentleman. Consequently they would
become very scarce could not Eggs and
birds DE obtained from abroad. The
first imported were the French, or red
legged variety (cnccabis urfa). hut they
proved very unsatisfactory. as when
disturbed they prepared To run rnthcr
than fly. In addition, they did not in
:crbrccd with the native variety. but
being larger n more u~ugnacious
threatened To cNtcrminatc them. \
few years z il was discovered that
the Hungarian cartridges not only very
nearly rcScmbled the English species,
but would intcrbrccd. and dwell i'm har-
m!Ony with it,. This discovery has led
to the importation Of myrinds OF these
birds: indeed. the business has grown
~ aa.al, ,,n rt ia..u sHpN .I..- an ara.
firms are engaged in il, and last season
over 100000 bruce were shipped from
Fuinlc on the Adriatic. the only port for
the large extent of country over which
these birds are trapped.
Most of them are taken on the broad
plains and low foothills OF the Carpa-
ihians, and in the valleys Of the Iiohcm-
'nn Alps. In the dense woods tina
'loihc the lower spurs Of The latter,
'IrnSantS nrc also very plentiful and
.argc numbers are trapped and i'm
i'ortcd. In England live Hungarian
p~artridges bring about 81 to $I.25
brace tmalc and fcmnlc). phcnsants
S2.25 to $3.50; partridgcs' eggs, - to $40
q hundred. and phcnsants' about 81. a
pretty high price considering that only
shout 30 per cent. OF these eggs are fer
tile. They are usually hatchcd by ban
'hinS, or common harnyard fowls.
fhth cartridges md p~hcasants arc
'r0i'iic cSg producers. their nests ron-
aiming from IL 10 ~ eggs, olivc-brown
III color, much rounded AT one end, but
iioinicd ut The other. Their nests, how
cv"T. are always on the ground. and the
owners make hut slight attempts To
conceal them, so that the contents fall
IN easy prey To their many enemies.
The English variety lay m~casurnbly
well in confinement, but their eggs are
frequently infertilc. This, however, is
not the case with the Hungarian birds.
who. IL not too closely confined, lay
large numbers Of eggs, n surprising per-
ccuiagc Of which will hatch out. The
young birds are much harder and
easier to raise than those OF the English
variety.
THEFT hardness would enable them 10
withstand the rigors OF this climntc.
80 " some OF our gun clubs, who have
'"rG" territories Mt their command,
ser" 4" obtain n consignment, their
preserves would poOn be stocked with
this very desirable game bird. They
never fly high, 10 that the expense Of
inclosing IL few acres OF land suitable
Tor them to breed on would liz trining.
Another bird which has attracted
the attention OF gumc prescrvcrs In Ire.
ihhd hnd Scotland. who control lnrg,,
areas OF waste land. In the guinea fowl
tgallina numidica). They nrc occa.
Sionnlly met with In thiB country In n
doTnesticatcd state, but those who hive
shot them In the African junglcs will
readily acknowledges TINT few game
birds sirpnss them, either In the en-
ccllcDcc Of tho sport they furnish or
their edible qualities. This bird has
been st strangely neglected by c]picurcs
IN this country. though he Is really bet.
ter chting than my othor OF the ,lonics.
iicatcd fowls. In consequence hunt.
Ing clubs could obtain large numbers
ut II nominal price. II these were
turned out on some wide cxpnnsc they
would become ns wild ~ hawks IN the
second generation, aud would increase
very rapidly, ns they surpass all other
game birds In the number OF eggs they
lay, and the cunning With which they
conceal their nests. - Chicago Inter
Ocean.