The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1906-07-17
Tue GAME BIRDS
FOUND ON kauai

'Of all the numerous haportations Of
game birds on the island OF Kauai.
none have proved themselves 50
adaptab.e as the Monaghan pheasant.
introduced nearly fifteen years ago.
and the first foreign game birds i'm
ported" said W. G. Smith of Kauai.
private secretary of A. 5. Wilcox. the
Kauai capitalist Mr. Smith, who is
spending some time in Honolulu, a
guest at the Young Hotel, has some
interesting things to tell regarding the
doings Of the Kauai nimrods ana the
efforts they are making to stock that
island with feathered game.
"They have been numerous importa-
tions of birds, some of which have done
fairly well, while others have been
distinct failures. Among those which
have proved successful are the blue
phea SAINTS, the second kind introduced.
In some instances these have crossed
with the Monaghan. producing a mag
nificent game bird. although less bril-
liantly plumaged than the Monaghan.
"These birds We're imported by Mr..
Wilcox, who next attempted to ac-
climatize the golden and the silver
pheasants. Both these attempts were
failures. the birds dying out There
are none left on the island at all now
Not much more successful We're the at
tempts to acclimatize the Wonga
pigeon. the big Australian variety. and
the tufted dove. from the same coun-
try. There are some few of these, but
they are not increasing to any ex-
tent.
Two or three years ago. at Mr..
Wilcox's instance, I sent TO the MAIN
land and got two lots of prairie
chickens. These arrived in excellent
shape and were turned loose. when the
birds acted in a most surprising man
ner. When released from the crates
in which they had been Confined for a
month, the whole flock circled and
went high into the air, flying to a
height of at least quarter of mile.
To anyone who is acquainted With the
habits of prairie chickens this flight
will seem most strange especially
when it is known that this was the
last ever seen Of them.
I have been told that when an at
tempt was made to import these birds
on Long Island, n. Y, that they acted
the same way, circlfny high into the
air, and then headed straight out to
sea, where they were lost. Very prob
ably our chickens headed back for the
mainland and dropped when exhausted
into the sea. AT any rate, they dis
appeared entirely.
a couple of months ago our shoot
ing association imported a number of
Virginia quail, from which we are ex-
pecting great results. We have had
the California quail in the island for Il
great many years. but they are de-
creasing in numbers very rapidly.
L ana also sorry to say that our ma
tive ducks are decreasing, due to the
ravages of the water rat 1t is not be-
cause of the number of shooters. and
Kauai is covered with little streams.
making it a splendid breeding ground
for ducks. Flowers. too, are about
played out, their feeding grounds be-
ing more or less taken up for cane.
In the fall migratory season We have
any number of ducks from the north
west on Mana lake, as well as curlew
and stills, while occasionally a Hawai-
ian goose makes its appearance there.
Fortunately we have been able to
keep the island free from the mon
goose. which has raised havoc with
the game birds of some of the other
islands. There We're a few specimens
of the rodent brought over from Ho-
Eolulu in some cases of machinery. but
we got after them as soon as we found
out about them and our rat terriers
made quick work of them