LEGISLATION 



545 



lands or hunting them with hounds. Lastly no game was to be sold 

 without a licence, the fee for which was fixed at five pounds. It is 

 very interesting to notice how strong was the conservative instinct 

 to preserve game so that the privileged few should have sport. Any 

 one who within three years of the passing of this Act was convicted 

 of exposing a dead hen pheasant for sale was to be fined not less than 

 five nor more than twenty pounds. 



Next year, 1867, the Acts of the two preceding sessions were 

 repealed and a new one was passed: "An Act to provide for the 

 Protection of Certain Animals and for the Encouragement of Ac- 

 climatisation Societies in New Zealand." Section 22 reads as follows: 

 "Any person who shall wilfully take or wilfully destroy the eggs of 

 any game birds shall be liable to a penalty not exceeding Five Pounds." 

 Limitation of power to introduce certain animals is covered by 

 Section 29, which reads: "It shall not be lawful for any person to 

 introduce any fox, venomous reptile, hawk, vulture, or other bird of 

 prey into the colony," or to allow such if already in possession to go 

 at large. In the Schedule which defines "game," the Snipe and the 

 Antelope are included. 



This Act was amended in 1868 so as to enable game to be taken 

 for the purposes of distribution to other parts of the colony. In 1872, 

 and again in 1873, Amendment Acts were passed, and in the latter 

 year the Schedule remained the same as before, except that Ptarmigan 

 was added. Another Amendment was passed in 1875, and then in 

 1880 the preceding Acts were repealed, and a new Act was passed 

 "to consolidate the Law for the Protection of Animals and for the 

 encouragement of Acclimatisation Societies." Amendments to this 

 Act were passed in 1881, 1884, 1886, 1889 and 1895. In the last of 

 these was a clause which should have been enacted at a very much 

 earlier date. Section 2 reads : 



From after the commencement of this Act no society, authority or person 

 shall introduce or import into the colony, or turn at large, for the purposes 

 of sport or acclimatisation, or as game, any animal or bird whatever without 

 the consent in writing of the Minister for the time being in charge of 

 the Department of Agriculture ; nor shall any insect or reptile be introduced 

 or imported into the colony without such consent as aforesaid. 



Section 3 seems to be a piece of unworkable legislation, for it throws 

 the onus of guarding against undesirable immigrants on persons who 

 have very little means of stopping such. It states : 



It shall be the duty of the master, owner, charterer or agent of any vessel 

 arriving at any port or place in New Zealand to effectually prevent any 

 snake, scorpion, or other noxious reptile from being landed in New Zealand 

 from such vessel, whether in the cargo or otherwise. 



T. N. z. 35 



