LOCAL AND OTHER OFFICERS. 31 



SPECIAL LOCAL OFFICERS. 



The region at the head of Chesapeake Bay and about the mouth of 

 the Susquehanna River in Harford and Cecil counties, Md., known 

 as the 'SusquelKinna Flats,' has in the past been famous for the • 

 number and variety of its wild fowl. Enormous numbers of ducks 

 have been killed for market on these noted ducking grounds, and many 

 persons have resorted to them for sport and recreation. The impor- 

 tance of the Susquehanna Flats has caused the enactment of an elaborate 

 system of ducking laws. Beginning in 1872, the Maryland legislature 

 committed the enforcement of these laws to a board of special police, 

 composed of three meml)ers, appointed by the governor, two of which 

 were from Harford County and one from Cecil County. They were 

 invested with power to appoint deputies and make arrests without 

 warrant, and were allowed a compensation determined by the circuit 

 judge and paid from hunting-license fees. The act creating this board 

 has been variously amended from time to time, but the substantial pro- 

 visions of the original measure are still in force. The board now con- 

 sists of four members, two from each county. 



In 1881 the Maryland legislature enacted a law requiring the gov- 

 ernor, with consent of the senate, to appoint a special policeman for 

 the protection of wild fowl on the Elk and Bohemia rivers in Cecil 

 County. This officer was vested with powers very similar to those of 

 the ducking police on the Susquehanna Flats. The act was superseded 

 in 1891 by another of like import, providing for compensation at $50 

 a year, payable from the county funds. The law of 1891 is still in 



force. 



South Carolina has a system of inspectors, authorized by act of 1905, 

 for enforcement of the game laws on the public lands and navigable 

 waters of the State. These inspectors are appointed by the county 

 commissioners of each county in which the law is applicable, receive 

 10 per cent of the hunting-license fees and fines collected in the county 

 under the act, and are vested with powers to arrest without warrant 

 persons found in the act of violating the law. 



OTHER OFFICERS. 



Nearly every State and Territory requires the sheriffs, constables, 

 and police officers to enforce the game laws. Several impose certain 

 features of enforcement upon market masters, coroners, and marshals, 

 and Indiana places the duty of enforcement on road supervisors, under 

 penalty of $5 to |25 for nonperformance, and with a fee of $5 for the 

 service when rendered, to be taxed as costs against the defendant on 

 conviction. In Massachusetts members of the district police and all 

 officers qualified to serve criminal process have authority of com- 

 missioners and deputies in arresting violators and executing search 

 warrants. Guides and packers arc required to ])e deputy game 



