Norwich bulletin., 1911-05-09
GOING HUNTING IN MAY.
The LiberaIized Sportsmanship.

1t is now May, one of the very best
months for hunting in the whole year.
The old cock partridge is drumming
from his log in the woods. 1t is more
OF a sporting stunt to creep up and
watch him act than to bag him in the
fall, and even more yet to photograph
hini- The quail are whistEng and mat
ing: who can trace them to their nest
at the edge of the pasture little later:
The male woodcock has been going
through his mating antics near the
nest, and in the evening twilight per
forming his strange circling and twit-
tered song: who has been enough of a
prowler to witness this performance
and to find ON her nest in the swamp
the bird thst matches SO wonderfully
with the dead leaves that it takes the
sharpest eyes to discover her? Black
ducks and wood ducks have eggs now
have YOU discovered their secret, and
learned how the latter gets it's brood
down from the hollow limb of the tall
tree:
Birds that are not in the game
class are exactly as interesting TO the
outdoor men of broadened mind. The
hawks and owls now have eggs or
young il, secluded woodland haunts:
are your woodcraft and physical ener-
gy adequate to searching them out
after miles of tramping and the climb
ing of hills and tall trees? The won
derful migratory movement of the
birds is at it's height: can you in
days tramp with fieldglass in hand and
notebook in the pocket, ferret out and
identify the 40 So 80 species of birds
and recognize them by their notes ana
songs? Warbler gems of thirty odd
species viii in a few days be fitting
and singing through the blossoms and
tender foliage: how many of them dc
you know? By Junes a. host of birds
will be nesting, affording wonderful OPP
oFQ To no
tiently trace out the carefully hidden
home of some rare warbler and out
Wit the little dodgsr with the camera
is far more of triumph, more real
fun and sport than to creep on flock
of ducks with q gun.
For fifteen years / have tried hard
each spring to find the nest of black
throated green warbler. that sedate
little fellow that sings his song from
the upper stories of the murmurine
pines and the hemlocks. Late last
May l found it, saddled in a crotch in
the forest. with four dainty eggs De-
lighted, / spent days there watching
the ways Of those fascinating birds. In
time they knew me 30 well that they
would perch on my hand, and feed their
young in the lap and on the hat of a
lady who shared with me this pleas
ure. giving me fine series of photo
graphs of all those remarkable perform
ances. I had just as real excitement
with these warblers as with any shoot
ing of game birds that I have ever
done This is only one illustration
out of hundreds that I could give of
the spirit demanded in the new sports
| manship.
We are face to face with the practi-
cal determination of most of our up
| land game birds. and various water
fowl, and a general decrease OF
! our birds,-a calamity which is sad
| dening TO the lovers of wild life. It is
| time to call halt before our national
domain is stripped Of its bird and ami
NAL life.
The type of craftsmanship that we
need now is the sportsman naturalist
| who shoots lawful game only in great
moderation. and cares more to know
all the wild creatures in their natural
| haunts than to further reduce their
pttifully small numbers. We need to
| educate the new generation to go hunt
ing in May. and throughout the year
in the manner above described. and we
shall see great changes for the better
| HERBERT K. JOB,
State Ornithologist, West Haven, Conn