BUREAU OF BIOLOGICAL SURVEY. 457 



other small fruits, and only by the holders of permits countersigned 

 by the chief official in charge of the enforcement of the fish and game 

 laws of the State in which the order is effective. Permits are revoca- 

 ble in the discretion of the Chief of the Bureau of Biological Survey 

 or of the person countersigning them. 



VIOLATIONS OF THE MIGRATORY-BIRD TREATY ACT. 



At the beginning of the fiscal year, migratory-bird treaty-act cases 

 to the number of 722 were pending before the courts, and during the 

 year there were 693 new cases reported for prosecution. Of these 

 1,415 cases, 472 were disposed of by convictions, 28 were nolle 

 prossed, in 2 the grand jury did not return true bills, 99 were dis- 

 missed, 3 were terminated bj" the death of the accused, and in 8 the 

 jury returned a verdict of not guilty ; the remainder are pending. 



The total revenue collected during the year in all cases amounted 

 to about $8,650, the fines ranging from $250 to $1 each. In numer- 

 ous instances the defendants were also required to pay the costs, 

 which in some cases equaled and in others exceeded the amount of 

 the fines. About 115 other cases were reported by the Federal war- 

 dens, which, on account of the youthfulness of the accused, insuf- 

 ficient evidence, adequate fines having been imposed previously in 

 State court, or for various other reasons, were not forwarded for 

 Federal prosecution. The evidence in many of the cases, however, 

 was transmitted to State game authorities for appropriate action, 

 as violations of State laws were involved. 



Convictions in Federal courts were distributed as follows: Ala- 

 bama, 20; Arkansas, 15; Delaware, 13; District of Columbia, 2; 

 Florida, 19; Georgia, 55; Idaho, 3; Illinois, 51; Indiana, 29; Iowa, 

 20; Kansas, 9; Kentucky, 3; Louisiana, 13; Maine, 14; Maryland, 

 12; Massachusetts, 13; Minnesota, 18; Mississippi, 7; Missouri, 19; 

 Montana, 7 ; Nebraska, 6 ; Nevada, 3 ; New Mexico, 3 ; North Carolina, 

 4; Ohio, 14; Oklahoma, 2; Oregon, 14; Pennsylvania, 1; South 

 Carolina, 5; South Dakota, 5; Tennessee, 14; Texas, 21; Virginia, 

 23; Washington, 13; West Virginia, 1; and Wisconsin, 1. 



Four jail sentences, ranging from 5 months to 15 days each, 

 were imposed against violators in Maryland and Nebraska as a re- 

 sult of illegal trapping, sale, and shipment of wild ducks, killing 

 ducks in close season, and hunting ducks after sunset. Wliile many 

 substantial penalties were imposed, some offenders escaped with 

 small fines and a few on payment of costs. 



Fines ranging from $100 to $25 were imposed against many of- 

 fenders for offering for sale and selling aigrettes, possessing ducks 

 in storage during the close season, selling ducks, hunting ducks 

 from motor boats, capturing live waterfowl, and operating without 

 a Federal permit, and for other miscellaneous offenses. The fourth 

 and fifth convictions for the hunting of wild fowl from an airplane 

 were obtained in the Federal Court for the Eastern District of 

 Arkansas on May 8, 1923, where the violators, charged with killing 

 wild ducks from an airplane, were fined $20 each. Six cases involv- 

 ing this means of hunting are still pending. 



Among other cases of interest terminated during the year may be 

 mentioned 2 in South Carolina, involving the killing of wood ducks 

 and resulting in a fine of $250 each; 1 in the District of Columbia, 



