CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME. 



81 



deer are practically exterminated by dis- 

 ease in Trinity County, hunters are al- 

 lowed, under the law, to take the same 

 toll as is taken in other coumies. if 

 quail in Inyo County are endangered be- 

 cause of severe winter weather no relief 

 can be given until the following- meeting 

 of the legislature and theu the necessary 

 legislation may not pass. 



The best conservation policy is found 

 in immediate protection whenever con- 

 ditions warrant it. The legislature should 

 delegate to the Fish and Game Commis- 

 sion sufficient power to efficiently admin- 

 ister wild life resources. A check on any 

 change may easily be provided for by re- 

 quiring petitions with a set number of 

 signatures or by insisting on the signature 

 of the governor. 



Watch the next number of Califobnia 

 Fish and Game for more information on 

 the subject. 



INCREASED SHEERING ENDANGERS 

 WILD LIFE. 



Great pressure is being brought to bear 

 to so change the regulations regarding 

 grazing in the national forests as to allow 

 sheeping in national parks and inci-eased 

 sheeping in national forests. This may 

 sound favorable so far as increased meat 

 supply is concerned, but anyone who has 

 seen the deep traces left in .sections where 

 sheep have grazed will shudder to think 

 what results are to be expected. Many 

 are the wornout meadows, deeply gullied, 

 which now testify to the past inroads of 

 herds of sheep, and many the depleted 

 game covers where the trampling of nests 

 and the destruction of food has reduced 

 upland game birds to the minimum. These 

 are dangerous times and every conserva- 

 tionist must help form the army of de- 

 fense needed to save wild life in this 

 emergency when special opportunity to 

 devastate wild life resources is given the 

 enemy. 



FEDERAL MIGRATORY BIRD LAW 

 BEING ENFORCED. 



In spite of the lack of funds and lack 

 of legislation backing the Migratory Bird 

 Law, a report from the Chief of the 

 Bui'eau of Biological Survey shows that 

 many arrests have been made and that 

 the law is being enforced. The 16 inspec- 

 tors and 186 federal wardens have re- 



ported during the last year 208 cases of 

 violations of the regulations. Since the 

 law became effective prosecutions have 

 been made in 29 cases, resulting in im- 

 positions of penalties in all but five. 



That the violations reported by no 

 means approximate the number that have 

 occurred is to be expected and is due to 

 the impossibility in many cases under the 

 law of securing evidence sufficient to con- 

 vict. Possession of wild fowl during the 

 closed season is not a violation under the 

 federal act, and there must be evidence 

 of actual shooting or capture on which to 

 base prosecution. Furthermore, inspectors 

 and wardens appointed under authority 

 of the law have no power of arrest, and 

 hence many violators escape. 



Notwithstanding the difficulties attend- 

 ing enforcement, the present law is very 

 generally ob.served, and communications 

 received from fish and game commission- 

 ers and other persons contain incontro- 

 vertible evidence that since the law be- 

 came effective a very marked increase in 

 the number of waterfowl and shorebirds 

 has been noted in most of the states ; that 

 wild fowl have become unusually tame 

 in spring ; and that many thousands of 

 waterfowl are breeding in certain locali- 

 ties where they had not nested for many 

 years. The consensus of opinion attrib- 

 utes these greatly improved conditions to 

 the abolition of spring shooting and the 

 general observance of the regulations. 



STILL IN THE SAME CLASS. 

 The Sportsmen's Review of February 

 16, 1918, comments thus on the sale of 

 game : 



WAKE UP. 



In all this fair land there are still 

 two states, Louisiana and North Caro- 

 lina, which pei'mit the hunting of game 

 for market. 



In all this fair land there is no state 

 which has enough game left to feed it 

 to epicures who are too lazy to go out 

 and get it themselves. 



In all this fair land there is no real 

 sportsman who would allow market 

 hunting in his native state without a 

 protest. 



We suppose that our partial prohibition 

 of the sale of game saved us from being 

 included with Louisiana and North Caro- 

 lina. So long as we continue the sale of 

 ducks and geese we in reality belong in 

 the same class. Wake up ! California ! 



