APPENDIX. 619 



Laws limiting the number of birds that the hunter is 

 allowed to take in a day or in a season have been passed in 

 practically all the States, They help some, but it is difficult 

 if not impossible to enforce them. 



Something has been accomplished toward making game 

 seasons more uniform in different States, but this cannot be 

 done certainly or permanently except under a federal law. 

 Seasons have been quite generally shortened in New England 

 and in some other States. The result in INIassachusetts has 

 been excellent. The local game birds have increased steadily 

 over a large part of the State. Wild-fowl have multiplied and 

 many more breed here than when all w^inter and spring shooting 

 was allowed. 



Night shooting was prohibited generally by the federal law 

 in 1914, but as this law never has been fully enforced the effect 

 in Massachusetts is yet to be seen. No recent attempt has 

 l^een made in Massachusetts to check the pursuit of wild-fowl 

 l)y hunters in boats, except that restrictions on the use of motor 

 boats have been enacted. That such protection is important 

 is shown by the numbers of wild-fowl in ponds where pursuit 

 by boat is not allowed. 



Laws have been enacted in Massachusetts for the purpose 

 of preventing forest fires, and the State Forester has had some 

 success in enforcing them. It is very important for the Fish 

 and Game Commission or the Governor of the Commonwealth 

 to have the power to stop all shooting at any time in the open 

 season when the woods are so dry that they will be much 

 endangered by hunters. In Massachusetts and some other 

 States this power is now vested in the Governor. 



The Legislature of Massachusetts has enacted statutes 

 under which each town may have both a game warden and a 

 bird warden, but as these laws are not mandatory, and town 

 governments maj' adopt them or not as they please, compara- 

 tively few towns have seciu*ed the appointment of either. 

 It is important to appoint officers in each town to act as war- 

 dens and to help the State wardens enforce the game and 

 bird laws, but they should be paid officers. The Massachusetts 

 law provides for this. 



Legislation has been proposed annually for several years 



