PUBLIC DOCUMENT No. 25. 21 



these laws prescribe the places, time and kind of fish and game 

 which may be legally taken. 



Proper enforcement of these laws is especially difficult. The 

 fundamental obstacle is the lack of proprietary interest and per- 

 sonal responsibility similar to that which the farmer has in his 

 crops. The general feeling of a hunter or fisherman is too often 

 embodied in the idea, "if I don't kill it some one else will, and 

 I might as well have it as let the other fellow." There are 

 three distinct types of violation: (1) congenital inability to 

 comprehend the law r ; (2) carelessness or neglect to consult the 

 statutes; and (3) the violator who expects to pay the penalty 

 of court but is willing to take a chance when the odds are in his 

 favor. The violators again fall into two classes, the occasional 

 and the professional. It is the duty of our wardens to inform, 

 warn and to a certain extent educate the ignorant. The other 

 two classes must be held strictly accountable to the letter of the 

 law, both for its individual and general effect, since publicity is 

 of value with individuals as well as with corporations. 



The fish and game laws, unlike most other types, are broken 

 in relative or complete solitude, or in parties where all are 

 culpable or bound by ties sentimental or otherwise. On this 

 account evidence is difficult to obtain, and the difficulty is ac- 

 centuated by the fact that the booty, e.g., meat, feathers, fur, 

 etc., is disposed of with relative ease. 



The people who adversely criticise most freely are those who 

 have the least practical knowledge. Our hardest " knockers " 

 are those who sit in their offices and listen to indefinite stories. 

 It is exceedingly hard to find a man who is willing and able to 

 make an accurate and adequate statement concerning specific 

 violations upon which a court case may be successfully prose- 

 cuted. Recently the use of the automobile has contributed to 

 the difficulty of game law enforcement. Anti-sale and bag- 

 limit provisions are susceptible of facile infraction. License 

 laws, although they have done much to aid in identification of 

 hunters, are evaded in several ways in spite of reasonably rigid 

 inspection. Attempts are frequently made to use the member- 

 ship in fraternities, orders, clubs, etc., to avert arrest in cases 

 of minor infraction, or to secure special privileges. 



The mechanism of enforcing fish and game laws renders it 



