THE ENGLISH GAME LAW. 427 



August in the succeeding year, or any bustard between the first day of 

 March and the first day of September in any year, every such person shall, 

 on conviction of any such oflence before two justices of the peace, forfeit 

 and pay, for every head of game so killed or taken, such sum of money, 

 IK it exceeding one pound, as to the said justices shall seem meet, together 

 with the costs of the conviction ; and if any person, with intent to destroy 

 or injure any game, shall at any time put or cause to be put any poison or 

 poisonous ingredient on any ground, whether open or inclosed, where 

 game usually resort, or in any highway, every such person shall, on con- 

 viction thereof before two justices of the peace, forfeit and pay such sum 

 of money, not exceeding ten pounds, as to the said justices shall seem 

 meet, together with the costs of the conviction. 



IV. Possession of game illegal after ten days in dealers, and forty 

 days in other persons, from the expiration of the season. And be it 

 enacted, That if any person licensed to deal in game by virtue of this act 

 as hereinafter mentioned shall buy or sell, or knowingly have in his house, 

 .shop, stall, possession, or control, any bird or game after the expiration of 

 ten days (one inclusive and the other exclusive) from the respective days 

 in each year on which it shall become unlawful to kill or take such birds 

 of game respectively as aforesaid ; or if any person, not being licensed to 

 deal in game by virtue of this act, as hereinafter mentioned, shall buy or 

 sell any bird of game after the expiration of ten days (one inclusive and 

 the other exclusive) from the respective days in each year on which it 

 shall become unlawful to kill or take such birds of game respectively as 

 aforesaid, or shall knowingly have in his house, possession, or control, any 

 bird of game (except birds of game kept in a mew or breeding place, 

 after the expiration of forty days, one inclusive and the other exclusive) 

 from the respective days in each year on which it shall become unlawful 

 to kill or take such birds of game respectively as aforesaid ; every such 

 person shall, on conviction of any such offence before two justices of the 

 peace, forfeit and pay for every head of game so bought or sold, or found 

 in his house, shop, possession, or control, such sum of money, not ex- 

 ceeding one pound, as to the convicting justices shall seem meet, together 

 with the costs of the conviction.* 



* One of the most important results of the formation of the new Asso- 

 ciation for the Prevention of the Sale of Game out of Season is the 

 acknowledgment of the stringent nature of the law, which forbids the 

 sale of live as well as dead birds of game out of the proper season. 

 Hitherto it has been generally held, though we find it to be otherwise 

 laid down in the law books, that a dealer in live game might lawfully 

 sell birds of game if tame bred at any season of the year; and upon this 

 interpretation of the act advertisements for the sale of live pheasants 

 have been admitted into the columns of the sporting papers, for, though 

 their conductors have alwavs believed that nine tenths of the pheasants 

 thus sold were poached, they considered that they had no right to act 

 upon this hypothesis, and therefore, though reluctantly, the advertise- 

 ments were allowed to appear. Hut on the formation of the new Associa- 

 tion a case was tried before the Lord Mayor, the law was examined care- 



