The Audubon Societies 



183 



would have been contested by the aigrette 

 dealers. This question is now being tested; 

 the attorney of our association is at the 

 present time aiding the attorney-general of 

 the state of New York in conducting an 

 important suit to establish the right of the 

 Commonwealth to prevent the sale of foreign 

 game, in order to better protect domestic 

 game. 



Section 141 of the New York law pro- 

 hibits the sale of foreign game; if such 

 game can be sold in the close season there 

 is no way to prevent native game being sold 

 at the same time under the name of foreign 

 game. This is one of the most important 

 questions now before the courts, inasmuch 

 as it is absolutely necessary to determine 

 whether a state has the right to prevent the 

 sale within its borders of foreign game ; it 

 is hoped that the courts will so construe. 



The Armstrong fire-arms bill became a 

 law; this prevents aliens from carrying fire- 

 arms in any public place, such as highways, 

 parks, etc., and will do much to help pre- 

 serve our song-birds. This is another in- 

 stance where Senator Armstrong has shown 

 his great interest in bird protection. 



CoNNECTiCLT.— A bill to permit fire 

 lighting, i. e., shooting wild-fowl at night, 

 was introduced. It was defeated through 

 the efforts of the Audubon Society aided by 

 sportsmen who were opposed to such a per- 

 nicious and wasteful method of shooting. 

 There is no surer wiy to drive wild-fowl 

 away than by shooting at or disturbing 

 them in the night-time. 



New Jersey. — The only changes in the 

 bird laws during the present session were 

 shortening the open season for wild-fowl 

 fifteen days in the spring and prohibiting 

 the use of batteries or water blinds more 

 than one hundred feet from shore. The 

 Audubon Society of this state should per- 

 sistently agitate the subject of the abolition 

 of spring shooting of wild-fowl and Snipe. 

 It is wrong to kill these birds while on the 

 northward migration, and an active move- 

 ment should be commenced at once to carry 

 out this needed improvement. One of the 

 arguments of the Long Island gunners in 

 their attempt to repeal the New York law 

 was that New Jersey permitted Ducks to be 



killed in the spring, why should New York 

 prohibit it? The reply of the Audubon 

 representatives was, that because New Jersey 

 is wrong is no reason why New York should 

 be also. An attempt was made to make an 

 open season on the Dove, but it was easily 

 defeated. 



Rhode Island. — The legislature is still 

 in session. Slight gains have been made in 

 the laws: i. Sale of game-birds prohibited. 

 2. Shooting of pheasants prohibited for five 

 years. 3. Open seasons shortened fifteen 

 days. No action has yet been taken on the 

 ridiculous bounty law on Hawks and Owls. 

 It is simply obstinacy on the part of legis- 

 lators to retain this law, in the light of the 

 general knowledge of the value of these 

 birds. 



Pennsylvania. — This state has just 

 adopted a most excellent and advanced law 

 in many respects. The one vital defect is 

 that it permits wild-fowl shooting from April 

 I to April 16. This is just at the height of 

 the migration period and is therefore the 

 ver}' worst time that could be selected. 

 However, to offset this, sale has been 

 stopped, and a bag limit is being enforced. 

 In many other respects the law is a model 

 in its restrictive character. The section 

 referring to non-game birds is the A. O. U. 

 model law. We are glad to be able to shade 

 Pennsylvania on the model law map. 



Florida. — The legislature is now in 

 session. A bill has been introduced to 

 establish a Game Commission, which is a 

 much-needed improvement, for at the present 

 time there is no responsible head to see that 

 the game and bird laws are enforced in this 

 large state. Game protection is such a 

 new idea in this commonwealth, and there is 

 so much wild territory to be controlled, that 

 a virile character, with a scientific training, 

 should be at the head of the Commission, if 

 one is established. It will not do to appoint 

 a politician to do the work of an economist. 

 Michigan. — The president visited the 

 legislature of this state late in March and 

 was given a joint hearing by the Game 

 Committees of both houses. A codification 

 bill had already been introduced by Senator 

 Bland. This bill was discussed in detail, 

 the Audubon representatives suggesting 



