Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1916-01-05
GAME BIRDS DISAPPEARING.


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Suggestions that Maine should Intro
duce Pheasants.
A note OF warning Is sounded by ex-
President Herbert L. Spinney of the Maine
archaeological society, which will be OF
interest tn sportsmen throughout the
State. ssUnless something is done by the
State at once to scientifically propagate
its game birds, Maine sportsmen will
suddenly learn in few years that there
will be no more birds LETT" he says.
"Partridges, with which the woods used
to abound, are growing scarce. Twenty
years ago man could 60 out almost any
where and kill the full number allowed
by law in few hours. To-day the man
who brings back two or three in day Is
considered lucky. The reason for this 10
that the State pays no special attention to
their rearing, while the indifference Of
the public to assisting the wsrdens is re-
sponsible for much illegal shooting"
Mr.. Spinney recently spent year at
the fish and game hatchery in Sutton,
Mass, and speaks very highly Of the
work OF Massachusetts, in preserving its
anne birds. "Pheasants can be reared in
Maine just as well as in Massachusetts, y
be says: "They are just a. hardy as the
Maine partridge and are much better eat
ing. There is good sport in cunning
them, and when q man returns with .
few OF these birds he never complains
about his luck.
There are many who fear that Names
winters would be too severe for them, but
they are uists ken. Their instinct tells
them not to get too far into the interior
where they would be unable to find bare
ground, and consequently they would fire.
quent our coast line or any spot where
they might find marsh land. They suhsist
on insects, grain and other foods which
are found on the ground, and seldom seek
co-er, even during the hardest OF storms"
Massachusetts, people are more in SYM
pathy With ths game laws than the ,.aine
people, Capt. spinnsy says: ut seems as
il every person in Massachusetts inter-
ested in the preservation OF game birds,
takes 1t upon himself to assist the war
dens in enforcing the laws. In Maine
there 10 . spirit Of antagonism to the
warden. and while there may be no con-
cePtsd n ovement to break the Law, NO real
support 10 given the warden In its enforce
ment.
.'If I had my way" he continued, 81
would require every resident hunter TO
pay license fec of at least one dollar to
the State. This IL the Massachusetts, law,
with the result that Thousands OF dollars
are received from this source, and every
dollar 10 turned over to the nsh and game
commission to be ussd In propagating the
sport for which the sportsmen have paid"
Capt. Spinney has seven pheasants OF
three varieties ct his home, which he &C.
cured in Massachusetts,, for breeding pur-
poses. He hopes to interest the fish and
game commission in raising them in the
Maine woods rs was done in Massachu-
sets.
aGive them five years to live and care
FULLY en- orce the laws during close time,
and I'll wager that sportsmen will be ~
enthusiastic over them rs they we're in
Massachusetts" he sayr. ''They will di-
vide attention with psrtridges and other
birds, and with . chance to increase in .
few years, the guuners will have no reason
to complain OF the scarcity Of game
BIRDS"
For several years Capt. Spinney was
keeper OF the Seguin light. For eleven
wears he kept record Of bird flights, and
bird life. He says that while upon Seguin
1t was no uncommon thing to pick up 800
dead birds around the base Of the light on
the morning after storm.