364 ANNUAL, REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



season for mourniiig doves in Mississii)pi and Louisiana v/as chan<^o.d 

 from the period October IG to January 31 to the period September IG 

 to December 31; and the season for mourning doves in X<jrth C'ai-o- 

 lina and South Carolina was changed from October IG to January 31 

 to extend from September 1 to December 15. 



VIOLATIONS OF THE MIGRATORY-BIRD TREATY ACT. 



On July 1 there were 772 migratory-bird treaty-act cases pending. 

 Of these, 194 were disposed of during the year by convictions, GO 

 were nolle pressed, in 36 grand juries did not return true bills, 54 

 were dismissed, and 2 were terminated by death of the accused. 

 Fourteen cases tried before a jury resulted in verdicts of not guilty 

 and 412 cases are still pending. During the fiscal year 742 new cases 

 were reported for prosecution; of these, 349 convictions have been 

 obtained to date, 39 have been nolle prossed, in 4 grand juries did 

 not return true bills, 35 were dismissed, and in 5 the jury returned a 

 verdict of not guilty. Fines and costs collected amounted to slightly 

 over $9,800 and ranged from $1 to $250 each, and many of the de- 

 fendants were also required to pay the costs, which in many instances 

 equaled, and in others exceeded, the amount of the fine. About 200 

 other cases were reported by Federal wardens which for various rea- 

 sons were not forwarded for Federal prosecution, but the evidence in 

 many of them was transmitted to State game authorities for appro- 

 priate action, as infractions of State laws were involved. 



The convictions in Federal courts were distributed as follows : 

 Alabama, 27; Arkansas, 35; California, 2; Connecticut, 2; Dela- 

 ware, 3; Florida, 11; Georgia, 59; Idaho, 5; Illinois, 38; Indiana, 

 11; Iowa, 9; Kansas, 6; Kentucky, 7; Louisiana, 7; Maine, G; Mary- 

 land, 28; Massachusetts, 29; Michigan, 4; Minnesota, 12; Mississippi, 

 13; Missouri, 20; Montana, 2; Nebraska, 8; New Hampshire, 1; New 

 Jersey, 13; New Mexico, 1; >iew York, 3; North Carolina, 4; Ohio, 

 7 ; Oklahoma, 1 ; Oregon, 8 ; Pennsylvania, 6 ; Rhode Island, 3 ; South 

 Carolina, 1; South Dakota, 8; Tennessee, 54; Texas, 38; Virginia, 

 23; Washington, 18; Wisconsin, 10. 



Many substantial penalties were imposed against violators, al- 

 though some offenders escaped with small fines or merely on the pay- 

 ment of costs. Among the penalties imposed were 10 jail sentences 

 ranging from 5 days to 4 months, in Arkansas, Florida, Illinois, 

 Maryland, South Carolina, and Virginia, and fines ranging as high 

 as $250; and a number of the violators were given both fines and 

 jail sentences. The character of violations included trapping and 

 selling wild ducks, illegal shipment of ducks for sale, killing wild 

 ducks in close season, killing great blue herons, hunting ducks after 

 sunset, hunting waterfowl from a sailboat, and offering to sell wild 

 ducks. Many other fines ranging from $25 to $100 were also imposed 

 against offenders for offering to sell and selling aigrettes, possessing 

 ducks in storage during the close season, and for other miscellaneous 

 offenses. The third conviction for the hunting of wild fowl from an 

 airplane was obtained in the Federal court at Trenton, N. J., on Feb- 

 ruary 12, where the violator charged with killing a goose from an 

 airplane was fined $25. 



An extended drive against persons killing mourning doves during 

 tlie close season was made in several of the Southern States and 



