The Audubon Societies 



169 



IMPENDING LEGISLATION 



This a heavy legislative year. Every 

 other year more than forty states have 

 sessions of their legislatures. As usual, 

 a large number of bills have been intro- 

 duced in various parts of the country with 

 a view of modifying the bird-laws and 

 game-laws in the interest of the destroyers 

 of the country's natural assets. The 

 home-office of the Association, as well as 

 its field-agents, has been having much to 

 do in combating these detrimental bills. 

 Here are a few — a very few — of those 

 with which we have been busy. 



New York. — (a) A bill to extend the 

 shooting season on Long Island from 

 January i to February i. 



(&) Bill to permit the killing of female 

 deer. 



(c) Bill to permit the sale of wild 

 Ducks and Geese in the country where 

 they are killed. 



{d) Bill to allow Bob-whites to be shot. 

 (At the present time the birds are not 

 allowed to be killed.) 



(e) Bill providing that one-half the 

 shooting-license fees shall be paid to the 

 treasurer of the county wherein they 

 were collected; and that the sum be used 

 locally. 



None of these bills should be allowed to 

 become a law. 



Massachusetts. — Among the many good 

 and bad bills introduced in this state we 

 may mention particularly one of each 

 class: 



(a) A bill to prohibit unnaturalized, 

 foreign-born residents to kill birds or 

 game, or to own or possess a shotgun or 

 rifle. This should become a law. 



{b) A bill to perim't the killing of 

 Coots, Geese, and Brant on Sunday. This 

 should not be allowed to pass the legis- 

 lature. 



(c) A bill to Hcense cats has alreadj' 

 been considered and rejected as usual. 



California. — The most important bill 

 pending here is one to prohibit the sale 

 of native game-birds. Mrs. Harriet 

 W. Myers, of the California Audubon 



Society, is heading the fight for the pas- 

 sage of this measure. 



Maine. — Moose are becoming very 

 rare in Maine, hence there is need for the 

 adoption of the Gallagher Bill to protect 

 bull-moose at all times. The resident- 

 hunter's license bill should be made a law. 



Texas. — The bills pending in Austin, to 

 e.xtend the season for killing Doves, and 

 to take protection off of Pelicans, should 

 be killed — and killed quickly. A resident- 

 hunter's-license bill is also pending in 

 this State. 



Arkansas. — After many years of labor, 

 and innumerable disappointments, a 

 modern up-to-date bird-and-game law 

 has been adopted by the legislature. The 

 greatest credit for this splendid piece of 

 legislation in a hitherto benighted state 

 is due to E. V. Visart, of Little Rock, who 

 for some time served in that territory as 

 a field-agent for this Association. 



South Dakota. — We were much inter- 

 ested in opposing a movement of the legis- 

 lature to lengthen the season for the shoot- 

 ing of Prairie Chickens. The friends of 

 this backward movement, however, were 

 unable to bring their plans to maturity. 



North Carolina. — The legislature has 

 again, by a very narrow margin, declined 

 to enact a modern game-law, to be 

 enforced by an adequately supported 

 game-warden system. 



He Subscribed 



In your circular letter j'-ou ask for con- 

 tributions or a word of encouragement. 

 My personal experience is, that I have 

 already answered both requests. The 

 New Jersey State Audubon Society is very 

 active, especially in Salem County, and I 

 was prevented from being jailed only by 

 paying a fine of $24.54. 



For further particulars apply to 

 Very truly yours, 



M. S. Black, M.D., 

 (or, New Jersey State Audubon Society), 

 Elmer, New Jersey. 



