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BULLETIN 22, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



RETROGRADE LEGISLATION. 



Among the retrograde legislation of the year may be mentioned 

 the Colorado provision extending spring shooting, the repeal of the 

 Massachusetts provision allowing dogs chasing deer to be killed, 

 the Maine prohibition of sale of game raised in private preserves, 

 the suspension of salaried warden service in Oklahoma, and the 

 repeal of the South Dakota doe law. Game protection funds were 

 diverted to other purposes in New Hampshire by a provision that 

 the surplus shall be devoted to screening ponds and forestry work, 

 and in Florida by the requirement that funds in excess of $5,000 on 

 March 1 of each year shall be turned over to the State school fund. 



More than the usual number of game laws have been the subject 

 of vetoes, notably in Wisconsin, where a bill prohibiting aliens from 

 hunting failed to receive the approval of the governor, and in Cali- 

 fornia, where two bills removing the band-tailed pigeon and certain 

 shore birds from the game list were vetoed. The only law apparently 

 in which the referendum was invoked was the. California statute 

 prohibiting the sale of game but allowing sale of ducks in November. 



PRESENT CONDITION OF GAME LEGISLATION. 



As an illustration of the progress of game legislation and the general 

 adoption of certain provisions in the various States, a comparison 

 may be made between conditions in 1900 (the date of the passage of 

 the Lacey act, the first Federal law) and those of to-day. Every 

 one of the 48 States now prescribes seasons for hunting, prohibits 

 export of game, and requires nonresidents to secure a license. Only 

 one State is without some restriction on sale of game, 4 are with- 

 out State game wardens or commissioners, 5 have no general bag- 

 limit laws, 9 do not issue resident hunting licenses, and 9 have not 

 yet adopted the so-called "model law" for the protection of nongame 

 birds. The progress in each of these features is shown by the fol- 

 lowing table: 



Table showing condition of game legislation in 1900 and 191S. 



Provisions. 



Number of 

 States. 



States lacking legislation. 





1900 



1913 





Seasons 



48 

 41 

 15 

 28 

 31 

 20 



48 

 48 

 48 

 47 

 44 

 43 



39 

 39 





Export 





Nonresident license.. . 





Sale 



(1) North Carolina. 



(4) Arkansas, Mississippi, Nevada, Virginia. 



(5) Arkansas, Kentucky, North Carolina, Rhode Island, 

 Virginia. 



(9) Arkansas, Maine, Maryland, Mississippi, North 

 Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee,' Virginia, West 

 Virginia. 



(9) Arizona, Idaho, Kansas, Maryland, Montana,Nevada, 

 Nebraska, New Mexico, Utah. 



.State warden 



Limits 



Resident license 



Nongame birds (model law)... 



