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from there complain that they will not have a chance to shoot either of these 
birds ; but they should consider that if the season is opened sooner specially, for 
those birds, that young partridges are found on woodcock grounds and would 
run serious risk of being killed, and the same may be said of woodduck, for when 
shooting duck it is difficult if not impossible to distinguish the species at a dis- 
tance, and if sportsmen were allowed to shoot woodduck before September 15th, 
other ducks also would suffer. Then it goes without saying that woodcock and 
woodduck are becoming very scarce, and perhaps it would be very wise legislation 
to prohibit their slaughter altogether for aterm of years. It was pretty generally 
agreed that the close season should begin on December 15th, thus giving the sports- 
men a period of three months shooting season in each year, which in view of the 
diminishing quantity of game should be considered enough. Many reasons might. 
be given for this suggestion but the principal are the scarcity of game birds and 
animals and the greater facility in this country afforded after that date by the 
presence of snow in enabling the hunter to track his quarry. It would therefore 
be wise legislation to restrict the shooting season to three months, and those 
between the 15th day of September and the 15th day of December in each year. 
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