136 THE DEER FAMILY 



ruary ist.* In Mississippi the season is September 

 15th to March ist, and in Louisiana November ist to 

 April ist. 



Louisiana and Arkansas have followed Missouri's 

 lead in prohibiting non-residents from shooting in the 

 State at any time. In Louisiana non-residents are 

 classed with idlers, vagrants and pot-hunters. The 

 law reads no idlers, vagrants, pot-hunters or non-resi- 

 dents shall catch, kill, pursue game, etc. A step 

 further in this kind of legislation and we may have : 

 " No pickpocket, sneak-thief, Louisianian, etc., shall 



attend any place of amusement within the State of 



etc." Such selfish and inhospitable legislation is not 

 creditable to any State, and I believe such laws when 

 tested in a United States Court will fail, as they 

 should. The open season is usually longer in the 

 Southern States than in the Northern States. In 

 Pennsylvania, for example, the season is only one 

 month, November ist to December ist. (I refer to 

 deer only. The open season for bull-frogs — act of 

 1903 — is July ist to November ist.) In Michigan, a 

 great deer-State, the season is still shorter, Novem- 

 ber 8th to December ist. In Wisconsin the season is 

 only twenty days, November loth to November 30th. 

 In a number of Northern and Western States, New 

 Hampshire.t Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecti- 

 cut, New Jersey, Illinois, Iowa, Oklahoma, and possi- 

 bly some others, the deer are protected at all times or 

 for a period of years. 



*In some counties the season closes January ist. 



f Except in the Blue Mountain preserve and certain excepted counties 

 and towns. 



