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LEGISLATION EELATING TO GAME BIRDS IN 

 CALIFORNIA 



The history of game-bird legislation in California has been long 

 and varied. From the time when the first law on this subject was 

 passed at the third meeting of the State Legislature in 1852, up to 

 the present, hardly a session of that body has convened without some 

 changes in or additions to the game laws, so that they are now numer- 

 ous and detailed. No constant policy seems to have dictated these 

 amendments and alterations, and the majority of them have shown 

 but little regard for the results of scientific investigation. In earlier 

 years no appreciable attention was given to the conservation of game 

 birds ; in fact, very few people seem to have urged the economic bene- 

 fits to be obtained by appropriate protection. The more recent law^s, 

 as they finally appear on the statute books, represent compromises 

 between the efforts of the modern conservationists, who would use 

 only the natural surplus over and above a normal breeding stock, and 

 the efforts of the more selfish element among the hunters, who seek 

 only to gratify their own immediate desires, without any regard to 

 the needs or rights of posterity. 



The earliest game-bird legislation was more or less local in its 

 application ; but in 1880 all counties in the state were brought under 

 uniform treatment. The County Government Act of 1897 provided 

 means whereby boards of supervisors could shorten, but not lengthen, 

 the seasons in their respective counties. Considerable use was made 

 of this act up to 1905 ; in that year a decision of the District Court 

 of Appeal rendered county legislation unconstitutional. 



In 1901 an amendment to the State Constitution was proposed for 

 the purpose of enabling the Legislature to divide the state into fish 

 and game districts. This amendment, although soon after adopted, 

 was not made use of until 1911, when six districts were established. 

 In 1913 these districts were altered somewhat, and their total num- 

 ber increased to seven; and a further change was made in 1915, 

 when the state was divided into four major and twenty-five minor 

 districts. All of the above changes w^ere made in response to an 

 increasing recognition of the diverse natural conditions obtaining in 

 different portions of California, and were in the nature of attempts to 

 meet this diversity by providing open seasons appropriate to the sev- 

 eral climatic areas of the state. The difficulty has been, and always 

 will be, that the political boundaries made use of in connection with 

 the game laws, and the natural boundaries along w^hich districts 



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