96 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



Progress of Legislation for the Protection of Birds. 



The Massachusetts Legislature of 1914 wisely devoted a con- 

 siderable part of its time to the task of killing bills, but one 

 important law for the protection of birds was passed. The 

 bill as finally enacted into law (chapter 240, General Acts of 

 1915) forbids hunting by aliens.^ This step should be taken 

 by every State in the Union. 



Attempts to repeal the Federal law for the protection of 

 migratory birds failed in the last Congress. There have been 

 no changes in the regulations made by the Department of 

 Agriculture for Federal protection of migratory birds since 

 October 1, 1914. The law under which these regulations were 

 made has been contested in the courts, and the litigation result- 

 ing has been carried to the Supreme Court of the United 

 States, where the question of the constitutionality of the statute 

 must be decided. This office was called upon by counsel to 

 furnish material for a brief in defence of the law. 



An attempt was made at the last legislative session in New 

 Hampshire to remove protection from the great blue heron, and 

 this office furnished upon request material to be used in defence 

 of the bird. The bill was defeated. 



Early in the year the Supreme Court of Arkansas declared 

 unconstitutional the local law under which market hunters were 

 able to operate. This and a law passed by the Legislature 

 establishing a State game commission and a warden system 

 should put an end to the wholesale market shipments of water- 

 fowl from that State. 



Illinois and Missouri, following the lead of New York and 

 Massachusetts, have prohibited the sale of all wild game, and 

 now, so far as native wild game birds and waterfowl are con- 

 cerned, all the greater markets are closed. Undoubtedly this 

 will help greatly to conserve the supply of game birds, ducks, 

 geese and shore birds. 



The war in Europe brought to an end for the time being the 

 concert of European powers for the protection of birds, but 

 during the past year Holland, notwithstanding the horrors of 

 war at her doors, and the burden of caring for 300,000 Belgian 



» This law is fairly open to criticism, as it gives a special privilege under a property qualifica- 

 tion. The only effective way to prohibit an evil is to prohibit it altogether. 



