lOO 



Bird -Lore 



the same time, the Executive of the Associ- 

 ation never has, nor will it ever consent to 

 any amendment of a wise law on a com- 

 plaint, until the reasons back of the same 

 and all of the facts have been thoroughly 

 investigated. We have never yet found a 

 case where such a petition was not founded 

 upon prejudice or ignorance. It is only 

 another instance showing the value of and 

 necessity for thoroughly organized work, 

 such as is being carried on by the National 

 Association. 



There is a petition before the legislature 

 of Maine to make the open season on Ducks 

 in the county of Lincoln extended to April 

 I. This is being combated, as there are 

 two reasons why it should not be adopted ; 

 first, because it is the trend of public opinion 

 at the present time among the best class of 

 citizens to prohibit all spring shooting; and 

 second, because it is unwise in a state of the 

 size of Maine, where the conditions are 

 practically the same in every part of the ter- 

 ritory, to have different open seasons. The 

 game law should be general and apply to 

 the entire state. 



A petition is also before the legislature to 

 make a close season of five years on the 

 Wood Duck and the Buffle-head Duck, 

 commonly called "Dipper." The reason 

 given in the petition is an exceedingly wise 

 one. 



"We urge the protection of the Wood 

 Duck and Buffle-head, because they are at 

 present so exceedingly rare as to afford prac- 

 tically no sport or food supply, and we be- 

 lieve, unless rigid protection is afforded them, 

 it will be only a short time before both 

 varieties are absolutely extinct." Such an 

 intelligent appreciation of present conditions 

 deserves the highest commendation and ap- 

 proval. 



Another petition: "No person shall at 

 any time, hunt, trap, catch, kill, destroy 

 or have in possession any Moose, Deer, 

 Caribou or any game or fur-bearing animals 

 of any description, within a radius of ten 

 miles from the highest point of Mount 

 Katahdin, known as the south monument, 

 believing that the best interests of the state 

 require this to be done." 



The above is an exceedingly meritorious 



measure, and, if adopted by the legislature, 

 will establish a game refuge in one of the 

 most beautiful and interesting parts of 

 Maine. 



New Hampshire.— A bill to amend the 

 Fish and Game law of this state was intro- 

 duced and has been passed. In some re- 

 spects the bill makes important improve- 

 ments ; for instance, it makes the close sea- 

 son on the shore-birds and Ducks from Jan- 

 uary 31, which practically stops spring 

 shooting, as none or but very few of these 

 birds are found in the state during the 

 month of January. 



A second bill, making a five years close 

 season on the Wood Duck, Killdeer Plover 

 and Bartramian Sandpiper, commonly 

 known as the "Upland Plover," was intro- 

 duced and has been adopted. This is the 

 first state to adopt the recommendation made 

 by the American Ornithologists' Union at its 

 last annual meeting. 



Massachusetts. — Out of the mass of bill 

 that were presented to the legislature tor and 

 against bird and game protection, the fol- 

 lowing important measures are of interest to 

 this Association : 



An act for the protection of Loons and 

 Eagles; this was adopted. 



An act to protect the Herring and Great 

 Black-back Gulls; this was adopted. By 

 the passage of this act protection is now 

 given to all the Gulls in every part of the 

 United States. The privilege to kill these 

 two species of Gulls in Massachusetts was 

 the only gap in a perfect series of laws in 

 the entire country. 



This is one of the results of the work of 

 the "Thayer Fund" and the National Asso- 

 ciation during the last seven years. When 

 the plume-hunters commenced their on- 

 slaught against the larger Gulls in 1900, it 

 was found that in many states there were no 

 laws protecting these birds. 



Two bills regarding spring wild-fowl 

 shooting were introduced, one making the 

 close season on certain species of wild fowl 

 commence March i, and another January i. 



Neither of these bills received favorable 

 consideration. This is unfortunate, because 



