Game Laws 



driven over the walls of a canon that a tribe 

 might have a feast, although the tribe might, 

 and often did, starve during the coming 

 winter. 



With the slow progress of civilization, at 

 first customs grew up, and then laws were 

 enacted consonant with the degree of educa- 

 tion of the lawmakers. In ancient Oriental 

 nations only a few animals were protected for 

 the use of the rulers. Thus the elephant, the 

 cheetah and the falcon in the East came under 

 royal protection. The Normans, when they 

 were not at war, followed the chase with ardor, 

 and passed laws for the protection of deer, 

 wolves and the wild boar. The Saxons, like 

 the Romans, guarded their forest preserves, 

 but left the open country free for chase to all 

 the people. After the Conquest the new Nor- 

 man rulers applied their own stern and selfish 

 laws over all England. Not only was the 

 chase forbidden, but the bearing of arms used 

 in the chase as well, and the conquerors thus 

 preserved the game for their own use, and also 

 kept in subjection the disarmed people. Their 

 punishments were barbarous, and comprised 

 maiming and death, and the killing of a deer 

 or a wild boar was punished with putting out 



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