274 



Bird - Lore 



Regulation 3 provides a perpetual closed 

 season on all "migratory insectivorous 

 birds," except that Bobolinks may be 

 killed from August 31 to November 1 in 

 the states of Delaware, Maryland, Vir- 

 ginia, South Carolina and the District of 

 Columbia. 



Regulation 4 makes a five-year closed 

 season on Band-tailed Pigeons, Swans, 

 Curlew, our three species of Cranes, and 

 all shore birds, except Black-breasted and 

 Golden Plover, Wilson's Snipe, Woodcock 

 and the two forms of Yellow-legs. Five 

 years' full protection is also given Wood 

 Ducks in New York, New Jersey, Penn- 

 sylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, West 

 Virginia, Wisconsin and the New Eng- 

 land states. In like manner, Rails are 

 protected in California and Vermont, and 

 Woodcock in Illinois and Missouri. 



Regulation 5 permits the killing of 

 migratory game birds only from October 

 31 to January 1, on the waters or shores 

 of the Mississippi, Ohio and Missouri 

 Rivers, throughout the greater part of 

 their length. 



Regulation 6. Here Zones are prescribed 

 as follows: "Breeding Zone" comprises 

 states lying wholly or in part north of lati- 

 tude 40 and the Ohio River, and "Winter- 

 ing Zone" being the territory south of this 

 line. 



Regulation 7 states that the periods for 

 closed seasons given in Regulations 8 and 

 9 shall be construed "to include the first 

 day and to exclude the last day thereof." 



Regulation 8 deals with closed season in 

 Zone No. 1, or Breeding Zone, and gives 

 dates within which the migratory game 

 birds may be killed in the various north- 

 ern states. While uniformity has been 

 earnestly sought, some notable varia- 

 tions have been made, evidently to meet 

 local natural conditions or in deference 

 to existing state laws. 



Regulation 9 takes up the subject of 

 killing migratory game birds in Zone No. 

 2, designated as "Wintering Zone." Here 

 also it appears to have been found imprac- 

 ticable to make absolutely uniform regu- 

 lations for all the states; and the unin- 

 itiated may ask, for example, why Wood- 



cocks should be shot for forty-seven days 

 in Louisiana and only thirty-one days 

 in Georgia. 



Regulation 10 explains how persons 

 desiring to recommend changes ' in the 

 regulations may do so either in person or 

 by attorney, upon making application to 

 the Secretary of Agriculture. 



Taking it in its entirety, this is a most 

 remarkable document, and a detailed 

 study of the regulations it contains will 

 serve to impress the reader with the far- 

 reaching beneficial possibilities which lie 

 in the McLean Law. There will probably 

 be many changes suggested, and perhaps 

 some of them will be adopted before the 

 regulations finally go into effect, on Octo- 

 ber 1, 1913. 



This work, which was in no sense an 

 easy task, has been performed by the 

 Biological Survey, the members of the 

 committee having the subject in charge 

 being Dr. T. S. Palmer, Assistant Chief, 

 Chairman; Dr. A. K. Fisher, in Charge 

 of Economic Investigations; and Prof. 

 W. W. Cooke, Migration Expert. — 

 T. G. P. 



New England Legislation Preliminary 

 Report 



Every legislature in New England has 

 been in session since my last annual 

 report. The work of this Association has 

 been confined very largely to combating 

 bad bills, although some constructive 

 legislation has been secured. There has 

 been a strong tendency to enact bounty 

 laws against Hawks, Owls, foxes, and 

 other so-called vermin. All these laws 

 have been combated with the exception 

 of the one in relation to porcupines which 

 was enacted in Vermont. There has been 

 no great change in legislation regarding the 

 protection of deer, although minor changes 

 have been made in different states. Some 

 gains have been made in the way of close 

 seasons for fur-bearing animals. 



Strong attempts were made by the 

 enemies of the birds in Connecticut and 

 Massachusetts to repeal the existing laws 

 regarding spring shooting. These were 



