H .L TILTON. P .S.O..T                              L. O TILTON. TREASURER

W. H. FOSTER . VCE-P.S.                             H. S. TI LTON. S.c. T

 
 
       NATIONAL SPORTSMAN, INC. 
                           PUBLISHERS 
          "NATIONAL SPORTSMAN",N9 "HUNTING & FISH ING
MAGAZINES 
                      108 MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE 
                    BoSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 
 
                                             January 3, 1929. 
 
   Mr. Aldo Leopold, 
   Game Survey, 
   421 Chemistry Building, 
   Madison, Wis. 
 
   Dear Mr. Leopold: 
               I have your letter of December 27th in regard 
   to winter killing of quail. 
               The only severe winter that I personally 
 Scan remember which killed many quail was the winter of 
   1910-11. We have had some bad winters since then, the 
   last being during the winter of 1925-26, but these winters 
   have not affected the supply of quail noticeably. That 
   may be due in part to the fact that sportsmen are much 
   better organized now than they were fifteen or twenty-five 
   years ago, and they are alert to the necessity of feeding 
I game birds, particularly quail, in winter. It may be due 
   in part also to the fact that practically no Southern 
   quail have been imported here for about twenty years. 
               According to Edward H. Forbush in "Game Birds, 
  Wild-Fowl and Shore Birds", published by the Massachusetts 
  2reau of Agriculture in 1912 on Pages 371 to 373, the 
  first severe winter recorded as killing quail in great 
  numbers came about 1857.vSome reports/indicate that there 
  was another killing winter about 1865Y fir. Forbush defin- 
  itely records one in the winter of 1870and anothe r very 
  severe one in 1898.V Also the winter of 1904-05Vdestroyed 
  90% of the quail in Massachusetts in his estimation. 
               T ha14eve that it was the winter of 1904-05 
 
 
euch damage, and this came just at the 
od when so many Southern quail were being 
;his state. 
 
iinking that you may wish to file something 
ritative on this question, I am having a 
made of that part of Mr. Forbush's book 
ring to this question and enclose the copy 
rith. 
shing you a Very Happy New Year, I am 
            Very  lrul 7os, 
 
            "Game estorýation Department.