Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1913-04-19
STATE GAME WARDEN
WILL STOCK STATE

Chinese Pheaeants and English Part.
ridges are Received Here-Game
Warden Explains Why This 10
Done and Cites the Law Covering
Such cueetion and Asks That il be-
Enforced.
Thursday afternoon senator Gray
silver received Ave pairs OF Chinese
ring-neck ~pheasants and five pairs
OF Hungarian partridges. which la
took to his farm at Inwood and liber.
ated The birds are the finest in
this section az the state. and willis
they were in the city yesterday al.
traeied much attention and many fay-
orahle comments were heard. II Is
tho intention Of the state game war.
den TO stock the state, as far MS pos
siblc with these %pheasants and part.
ridges. and in doing 20 he asks the
assistance OF all lovers OF game, This
Is the first consignment of birds to
be sent 10 THIS county, and perhaps
will be the only one this year. Sne,
ciai attention Is called 10 the law
covering this question. which is found
in the concluding paragraph.
seem 10 be increasing.
State Forest. Game and Fish War
den. r. A. viquesney, has purchased
one hundred pair OF Chinese ringneck
pheasants and fifty pair Of Hungarian
partridges as o beginning to stock
the state OF West Virginia with these
game birds.
The English. or Chinese ~ring-neck
pheasant Is the common pheasant OF
China and Ii OF the most beautiful
plumagc OF any OF the pheasant family.
During the past twenty years It has
been demonstrated that they are we'll
adapted to most OF the American
States. and In many localities have
become the real game bird TINT Is
most admired by sportsmen.
Unlike the ruled grouse, Tint seems
10 fear civilization and Il fast re-
treating to the mountain wilds, the
ring.neck pheasant seems to prefer
the haunis OF civilization rather than
the forest fnstiless, and will stand
the rough winters better than either
tho ruffed grouse or the bob-white.
The most notable example Of prop
agating these birds was in the state
of Oregon Some twenty years ago
some few pheasants were brought
from China and released In the Wiilm-
mette Valley. Oregon is now said 10
have a greater abundance of Those
birds than China herself. Statistics
show that fifty thousand OF these birds
were recently killed In the state or
Oregon in q single day. and yet they
seem / ODE increasing.
Larger than the ruffed grouse. bril-.
liant and beautiful in color. hardy
and gamey. the flesh OF delicious flaw
or. II Is safe to predict that the CHA
csc ring-neck pheasant win soon be
the favorite gam bird in West sir-
ginia.
The Hungarian partridge which
closely resembles the bob-white, cx-
cept il Is two and one half times lar
ger than our native bird has also
been successfully ~propagated IN many.
sections OF the United States. The
partridge is said TO be easily accli-
mated and prefers the stubble or light
cover. rather than the dense forest,
and will raise from Is to 20 birds IN
a covey.
This initial shipment of birds is
made with a view OF as%certaining just
how well, and with what success these
birds may be shipped into and liber-
ated In West Virginia. 1t Is the IN.
t~ention. during the present spring ana
summer, to distribute several tnons'
and eggs among the sportsmen ana
farmers OF the state and have them
Matched under the common chicken
hen, and later liberated in the fields
and forests.
section 4s of the acts OF the legis-
lature Of 1909 provides that there
shall be no open season on Hungarian
cartridges, Chinese ~pheasants or otn-
er foreign game birds, and makes the
penalty for violating this section nor
less than $25. nor more than $50. snd
at the discretion Of the court, ! jail
sentence OF not more than sixty days.