54 



Bird - Lore 



Connecticut. — An attempt will be made 

 to change the open season for wild fowl and 

 shore-birds from late in the spring until 

 January i. A great deal of preliminary 

 work has been done to help accomplish this 

 very greatly desired result. 



Iowa. — Mr. George A. Lincoln, State 

 Fish and Game Warden, has introduced in 

 the legislature a resident hunting license 

 bill in order to make the game commission 

 of his state self-supporting. In this con- 

 nection it may be stated that the benefits 

 derived from the hunter's-Iicense law are 

 becoming better appreciated every day, and 

 it will certainly be only a few years before 

 every state shall have adopted this wise 

 provision. 



Massachusetts. — Mr. George W. Field, 

 President of the Fish and Game Commis- 

 sion, has introduced a bill to "authorize the 

 Commission to take certainunimproved lands 

 upon the island of Martha's Vineyard." 

 This is for the purpose of making firestops 

 in order to protect the feeding and breeding 

 grounds of Pinnated Grouse, or Heath-hen, 

 and otherwise secure the maintenance of these 

 birds or of any other species of wild birds 

 upon the said island. 



A strong effort will also be made to repeal 

 the law permitting the killing of Herring 

 Gulls and Great Black-backed Cutis in 

 Massachusetts, which is the only state in the 

 country that does not protect these two sea- 

 birds; and every bird-lover in Massachusetts 

 should make it his first duty, after reading 

 this notice, to write a strong letter to his 

 representative in the legislature, urging 

 that the present law shall be repealed. 



It is known that the Game Commission 

 of Maine has written to the Game Commis- 

 sion of Massachusetts protesting against the 

 present Gull law in the latter state, on the 

 ground that it is an injustice and a violation 

 of the comity of states for Massachusetts to 

 permit the killing of migratory birds which 

 Maine is making special efforts to protect. 



Missouri.— The conditions in this state 

 are very interesting. Two years ago, the 

 Honorable H. R. Walmsley succeeded, af- 



ter strenuous work, in passing what is known 

 as the Audubon Bill. This law prohibits 

 the sale of game in Missouri and it also em- 

 braces the Model Law feature. St. Louis 

 has always been one of the greatest selling 

 and distributing points for game in the West, 

 and the enforcement of the present law has 

 restricted the business of the game dealers 

 to such a degree that they are determined to 

 repeal the whole law if possible, and, if not, 

 that portion of it relating to the sale of game. 

 It is reported that one game dealer spent 

 #2,000 to prevent the reelection of Mr. 

 Walmsley to the legislature, which he was 

 successful in doing. However, Mr. Walms- 

 ley cannot be prevented from taking an ac- 

 tive part in defending the present excellent 

 law of Missouri, notwithstanding he is not 

 a member of the legislature. 



The fight in the legislatures of Missouri 

 and Texas this year is probably the initial 

 step in a campaign that is necessary to pre- 

 vent the total disappearance of the game- 

 birds of this country, including, amongthem, 

 water-fowl and shore-birds. If the sale of 

 game is not totally abolished it is only a 

 question of time, and probably a very short 

 time, before there will be no game to protect 

 or sell ; and it is the duty of the public, es- 

 pecially those who love wild-life, to see that 

 this question is settled once for all, not only 

 in Missouri and Texas, but throughout the 

 whole of North America. 



On the one hand, the sale of game can be 

 permitted for the benefit of a limited class of 

 people, i.e., market-hunters, game dealers, 

 and a few high - priced restaurants and 

 hotels. On the other hand, the game-birds 

 can be protected and perpetuated for the 

 enjoyment of an exceedingly large class of 

 persons who prefer the live bird in its natu- 

 ral surroundings and also for the benefit 

 of a still larger class of persons, known as 

 agriculturists, to whom birds of all kinds 

 are of great economic value. 



New Hampshire. — Following the sugges- 

 tion made in the last annual report, it is 

 probable that a bill will be introduced by 

 Commissioner Nathaniel Wentworth, to 

 establish a close season of ten years on the 

 Upland Plover and the Wood Duck. The 



