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Show THKASANTS ARE INCREASING IN COLORADO According to W. J. Morrill, Colorado Colo-rado fitate forester, the Chinese ring necked pheasants liberated a few years ago by public-spirited Colorad-11ns, Colorad-11ns, aro becoming very plentiful In tho agricultural district around Denver, Den-ver, north to tho Wyoming state line and extendeng eastward from tho foot-hills to a distance of 50 of more miles. Recently, Mr. Morrill rode In an automobile from Fort Collins to Greeley, about 30 miles; whllo no1 count was made, probably not less than 100 of these beautiful birds were observed In tho fields close to tho road. They are no indifferent lo ' passprs-by that they will baroly walk out of the road when an automobllo approaches, Ono pair of birds evidently making their homo In the campus of tho Col-! orado Agricultural collego, on tho outskirts of Fort Collins. I Five Yours Protection. If absoluto protection Is continued 1 to be given to these pheasants during I I the next five years, undoubtedly the area Inhabited by them will materially materi-ally Increase to the eastward, and eventually all of the plains region ot eastern Colorado will become well stocked with one of the most beautiful beauti-ful and gorgeous species of pheasants the Creator ever developed. I Their chief food during tho sum-'mer sum-'mer is grasshoppers, of which. Colo- ' rado has anjabundant crop; In fact, the grasshopper plague of forty or ' more year ago, known as grasshop-I grasshop-I per year," are said to nave originated on the plains 'of eastern Colorado. 1 Possible the stocking of these plains with pheasants, together with the cultivation cul-tivation of vast areas under non, Irrigated Irri-gated farm practice, will be a powcr-rul powcr-rul and even determining factor which will prevent a similar occurence occur-ence ot grasshopper years. 'War Time Food' Supply. y With areas as well stocked with pheasants as some In this vicinity, tbe time is fast approaching when a llttlo shooting, perhaps, can be permitted per-mitted during a few days each fall; nlthough at present it would seem from the standpoint of sport much like shooting hens In a barnyard. It is Bald, however, In. Oregon that hunting these birds causes them to become wary an,d shrewd in baffling hunters. The majority ot the citizens citi-zens here, however, are at present contented to see the birds half tamo and to forego the pleasure of shooting shoot-ing them, as is shown In the action of the last session of the legislature, which refused to open a season. If the war should eventually bring about famine conditions, the people In this vicinity have a supply of many hundreds of thousands ot pheasants to draw trom. There appears to be no reason why vast areas ot tho south and southwest could not be as successfully suc-cessfully stocked with these pheasants pheas-ants as Is this region, and provide flno hunting for everybody. |
