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Bird- Lore 



and their hours of leisure are employed in roaming about the country near 

 their camps shooting every bird that they see. One can hardly read a daily 

 paper and not find in it an account of the arrest and conviction of some of 

 these alien marauders. The officers who make these arrests are often in 

 great danger. 



Not long since, in Pennsylvania, two deputy game officers were brutally 

 killed by aliens whom they were attempting to arrest for violation of the 

 game laws, and in Wisconsin during the past summer a like trag- 

 edy took place. Recently a series of complaints came from Rock- 

 land county, New York, of a gang of Italians who were working 

 in the stone-crushers there and who made Sunday a day of unrest 

 for the citizens in that locality. This Association was asked to 

 detail officers to arrest the offenders. It was suggested that two had 

 better be sent, as the men were desperate characters and one officer 

 might be in danger if he went alone. The suggestion happily was 

 followed, for, while attempting to arrest an Italian who was seen 

 to shoot a Towhee and a Waxwing, the man deliberately shot at 

 one of the officers, but fortunately did not hit him ; and before he 

 could shoot the second time he was overpowered. A handcuff was 

 placed on one of his wrists, and while he was being led away to the 

 jail he managed, with his free hand, to extract from his pocket a 

 long-bladed knife, which he tried to use on the officer who had 

 him in charge. 



In several states special laws have been enacted in order to 

 control alien hunters. In Massachusetts they cannot hunt unless 

 they carry a license, which costs them fifteen dollars per year and 

 gives them the privilege of shooting game only in the open sea- 

 son. In New York the law specifically provides that aliens cannot 

 procure a license and, in consequence, they cannot carry firearms 

 or shoot game at any time. 



Either, or both of the laws mentioned, if rigidly enforced, would 

 do much to curtail the harm done by the alien hunter, but neither 

 of them is drastic enough. It would be far more effective to have 

 Knife drawn a j aw making every alien who desires to hunt procure a license 



on a National 



Association giving him such privilege, for which he must pay $25. The license 

 warden gh^i^ not De j n force longer than December 31 of the year issued, 

 and it must be on the person of the hunter whenever he carries a gun 

 in public. Should he violate the game law by shooting in the closed sea- 

 son, or by killing any bird or animal for which there is no open season, 

 his license should be forfeited, his gun should be confiscated, and he 

 should also be liable for the penalties provided in the game law for a vio- 

 lation by a citizen. Should an alien resist arrest or attempt to murder a 

 game warden, imprisonment should be added to the other penalties. A 



