ILLINOIS AUDUBON SOCIETY 5 



for violation. It prohibits selling or having in one's possession in the 

 State any of the animals protected. The ownership of wild game and 

 birds is declared to be in the State, and the destruction of nest or eggs of 

 wild birds or having them in one's possession is subject to fine, except in 

 the case of persons holding a certificate giving the right to take birds, their 

 nests and eggs, for scientific purposes. These certificates are granted by 

 the Commission upon testimonials from two scientific men certifying to the 

 good character and fitness of the applicant, and are issued upon the pav- 

 ment of $5.00 and the execution of a $200.00 bond; A license to kill 

 game must be secured from a county, city or village clerk, upon appli- 

 cation. The fee to citizens and residents of the State is $1.00. // issued 

 to non-residents of the State or to aliens, the total fee is $10.50. 



The Commission has the power to establish game and bird reservations 

 in any county for song and insectivorous birds, the land being leased at 

 the nominal rental of $1.00 a year for each tract, with power to use five 

 acres in each such tract for planting grain, and to pay therefor the usual 

 rental of such land. 



There are also careful provisions protecting the fish of the state, pro- 

 viding for state fish hatcheries, etc. 



Considerable information as to the work of this commission is given 

 in its printed annual report for the year ending July 1, 1915, which can 

 be obtained from the Commission at Springfield, or its office at 130 

 North Fifth Avenue, in Chicago. // is evident from the report that the 

 chief interest -of the Commission is in protecting and increasing game, and 

 the necessity of protection of song-bird life is not emphasized. This is un- 

 doubtedly Giving to the activities of the game clubs and professional hunt- 

 ers who have always taken an energetic interest in the passage and adminis- 

 tration of the law, while the Audubon Society and those interested in song 

 bird and game protection, for love of the birds or for economic reasons, 

 have not made their interest felt in the same degree. 



The first district comprises ten of the northern counties and has three 

 deputies in Chicago, with seven more in other northern counties of the 

 state. The report for this district shows 158 arrests during the year cov- 

 ered, w r ith total fines of $887.50. These comprise both fish and game 

 violations, and are not separated in the report. They are mostly for sell- 

 ing undersized fish, and ducks and rabbits out of season. The other five 

 districts contain varying numbers of counties, similarly patrolled by 

 deputies. The reports from the district wardens of each of these districts 

 discuss game and fish protection almost to the exclusion of song bird pro- 

 tection. Some of them are of considerable interest. The district warden 

 at Carbondale, in the sixth district, for example, recommends amendments 

 to be made to our present law, to prohibit bird dogs running at large from 

 April 1 to November 1, and to prohibit the use of pump and automatic 

 and all other repeating or machine guns, whereupon he believes that our 

 game, birds and animals will increase very rapidly. 



The wardens are said to be under civil service. The constables of the 

 state are reported to be quite inactive in enforcing the statute in general, 

 although there are a few exceptions. 



The State had a propagating farm at Auburn, Illinois, but it w r as given 



