IOWA ORNITHOLOGIST. 



either kind of said named birds; 

 or for any person, firm or corpo- 

 ration to have more than twenty- 

 five of either kind of said named 

 birds in his or their possession at 

 any one time, unless lawfully re- 

 ceived for transportation; or to 

 catch or take, or attempt to 

 catch or take, with any trap, 

 snare or net, any of the birds or 

 animals named in Section 2 of 

 this act, or in any manner will- 

 fully to destroy the eggs or nests 

 of any of the birds hereby intend- 

 ed to be protected from des- 

 truction." 



This section needs nothing but 

 enforcement to make it all that 

 can be desired. It is this killing 

 for traffic that is depopulating 

 our prairies and marshes. These 

 refrigerators where game is stor- 

 ed for years are what tempt men 

 to shoot and trap in violation of 

 existing laws, for without these 

 there would be no profit in shoot- 

 ing birds for an overstocked 

 market, as there always is during 

 the open season. The closing of 

 the large refrigerator in Keuanee, 

 111., last July was a step in the 

 right direction, but there are oth- 

 ers besides the one which Game 

 Warden Blow has succeeded in 

 prosecuting and which will cost 

 its owner, H. Clay Merritt, his 

 entire fortune to pay the accumu- 



lating fines against him. 



Section 5 of this chapter pro- 

 vides that it is illegal to handle 

 game in the closed season. 



"It shall be unlawful for any 

 person, company, or corporation, 

 to buy or sell, or have in pos- 

 session, any of the birds or ani- 

 mals named in Section 2 of this 

 act, during the period when the 

 killing of such bird or animal is 

 prohibited by Section 2, except 

 during the first five days of such 

 prohibited period; and the havi/ig 

 in possession by any person, com- 

 pany, or corporation, of any such 

 birds or animals during such pro- 

 hibiteil period, excepting during 

 the first five days thereof, shall 

 be deemed prima facie evidence 

 of a violation of this act." 



This section needs only rigid 

 enforcement and it is not now so 

 much violated as formerly. Sev- 

 eral years ago there was some 

 evidence of large "freezers" in 

 northern Iowa, but if such are 

 still in existance the fact is not 

 so generally known and their 

 business vvill be much restricted 

 after the closing of the large Illi- 

 nois concern, because of the evi- 

 dent stand taken by the sports- 

 men of Illinois and a sympathetic 

 movement now being felt among 

 all the sportsmen of the west. 



Section 6 reads: "It shall be 



