234: BIRD LIFE IN ENGLAND. 



But although the right of a landed proprietor to the 

 game on his estate is regarded as a natural and an inalien- 

 able one, it is in its nature imperfect. Though his ownership 

 is in one sense absolute, the mode in which he may derive 

 advantage from it is restricted. Numerous regulations 

 exist, having for their object the preservation of the game, 

 and with such he must comply. The shooting season is 

 limited in length ; shooting on Sunday or at night is strictly 

 prohibited, as also during those times when snow is lying 

 on the ground, or the land is flooded ; the mode of capturing 

 or killing game is strictly denned, nets, traps, and snares 

 being in nearly all cases prohibited ; the number of dogs to 

 be employed in coursing in the same field, and the amount 

 of slaughter to be committed in the same battue are also 

 limited. It is likewise forbidden to transport or sell game 

 during close time. 



The State takes upon itself, to a great extent, the duty 

 of preventing poaching. This it does with the aid of various 

 regulations, such as preventing persons other than the owners 

 shooting on land without written permission from the owners, 

 or even being found in a field or wood with a gun ; and, 

 again, making it an offence to convey game from one place 

 to another except by the public road or footpath, or without 

 a written certificate showing the means by which the game 

 was obtained. Even in the case of game introduced from 

 abroad, it cannot be removed from the port of entry without 

 a certificate of its foreign origin. 



The right of shooting cannot be alienated from the owner- 

 ship of the property. 



Art. 11. The committee of the provincial states shall 

 annually fix the time in each province for the opening and 

 closing of the shooting season, as well as the days of the 

 week when small or large game may be killed, and the 

 commissary in the province shall give notice thereof at least 

 eight days before the opening and the closing. 



In like manner the committee of the provincial states 



