56 GAME BIRDS OF CALIFOBNIA 



should, ideally, be divided from one another, rarely coincide. The 

 ideal arrangement would be to give full recognition to the several 

 natural "life-zones" in which the different kinds of game exist. 



There has been a gradual increase during the past sixty years in 

 the number of species of game birds protected under the laws of 

 California. At first (1852) only the most desirable ones, the quail 

 and Mallard and Wood Duck, received recognition. In 1861 several 

 other "broad-bill" ducks were included, as were also grouse, and in 

 1866 "prairie chickens" [=Sharp-tailed Grouse] and Sage-hens were 

 given protection in Siskiyou County. The Gadwall, Cinnamon Teal 

 and Redhead were recognized in 1878, and in 1880 the duck law was 

 made general to include all wild species. From 1883 to 1887 all 

 species of ducks were, for the time being, without protection of any 

 sort. Doves first received protection in 1878, in San Joaquin County, 

 and two years later a state-wide closed season of six months was 

 extended to these birds. Rails were first protected in the same year 

 (1880), snipe in 1893, robins (as game, but for two years only) in 

 1895, ibis, curlew and plover in 1901, and other shore-birds in 1905. 

 Not until 1909 did any geese receive mention, and then only the 

 Black Sea Brant ; and only in 1915 were the other species of these big 

 birds given any protection. The Band-tailed Pigeon first received 

 legislative recognition in 1915. The two groups of quails, Valley and 

 Desert, and Mountain, were not treated separately until 1895. 



While the whole scheme of closed seasons was, and is, designed 

 directly to enable our game birds to maintain their numbers, other 

 restrictive measures, with a similar purpose, have been applied. 

 Among these the following may be mentioned : Protection of nests 

 and eggs (1878, 1893) ; prohibition of trapping (1880) ; restriction 

 in bore of gun used (1893) ; prohibition of sale (1895, 1901, 1913) ; 

 bag limits (1901) ; prohibition of extra-state shipment (1895) ; pro- 

 hibition of night hunting (1901) ; and closed terms (grouse, 1907- 

 1911; Mountain Quail, 1909-1911; Wood Duck and Band-tailed 

 Pigeon, 1915 to date) . 



The Federal Migratory Bird Law, and the regulations promul- 

 gated under it since 1913, assisted materially on points where the 

 citizens and Legislature of California had been too lax. The protec- 

 tion afforded shore-birds, the Wood Duck and the Band-tailed Pigeon 

 by these regulations has probably prevented the extirpation of several 

 of the species concerned. 



The chronology of legislation and the table of open seasons which 

 are presented herewith have been compiled chiefly from the Statutes 

 and Amendments to the Codes of California, 1850-1915. The annual 

 summaries of game legislation issued since 1901 by the United States 

 Bureau of Biological Survey have also been consulted. 



