G THEAUDUBONBULLETIN 



sons who have procured their final naturalization papers, and to the 

 minor children of such persons. 



Comment on Section 40. 



It will be seen that aliens may no longer hunt within the state of 

 Illinois. They cannot procure a license and therefore can be arrested on 

 general principles when seen with a hunting weapon of any kind, gun or 

 net. Our laws still permit children to secure hunting licenses but set up a 

 slight safeguard as to issuing licenses to those under sixteen. The conten- 

 tion of the Illinois Audubon Society was that sixteen should be the mini- 

 mum age requirement for the holders of hunting licenses. 



When not to Hunt. 



House Bill 312, approved by Gov. Lowden, June 25, 1917, makes un- 

 lawful the discharge of firearms upon a public highway by anyone other 

 than an officer of the law and provides a penalty of from five to twenty 

 five dollars for each and every violation of this act. Section 38 of the 

 Game and Fish Code reads : 



It shall be unlawful : 



(a) To hunt, kill, take or destroy, or attempt to hunt, kill, take 

 or destroy game birds, rabbits, squirrels, or fur-bearing animals 

 from any automobile or vehicle of any kind propelled by mechanical 

 power, by the use of the lights thereof or any light used from such 

 vehicle. 



(b) It shall be unlawful for any person to trap or hunt with a 

 gun or a dog, or allow a dog to hunt within or upon the land of 

 another, or upon waters flowing over or standing on the land of 

 another, without first obtaining permission so to do from the owner, 

 agent or occupant of such land, and it shall be further unlawful for 

 any person to wantonly or carelessly injure or destroy, in any 

 manner whatsoever, any real or personal property on the land of 

 another while engaged in trapping or hunting thereon. 



Further and Final Comment. 



There is no lawful hunting on highways or roadsides nor may one hunt 

 on private property without permission. These two provisions should be 

 easy to enforce. The penalty for violation of Section 38 is a fine not less 

 than fifteen dollars for each offense. Here it might be stated that the 

 penalty for killing protected birds is ten dollars for each and every offense. 

 All these penalties are coupled with jail sentences where the fines are not 

 paid, so that there is no default because of inability to pay a fine. 



It should be noticed finally, that no chance for subterfuge is left to 

 those who violate the rights of birds to life and the pursuit of happiness. 

 Section 17 explicitly states that it is unlawful to shoot, kill, destroy or catch, 

 or attempt to shoot, kill, destroy or catch, and thereby sling-shot, air rifle, 

 club, stone, or net are outlawed with other weapons when an attempt* on 

 birds on the protected list is made. The illicit hunter has sometimes an 

 unarmed companion to carry the bag and to hold the attention of the officer 

 while the weapon bearer may escape. The innocent story of carrying the 

 bag to oblige an unknown person or of having picked up the game along 

 the way is barred out by this same Section 1 7 which declares it unlawful to 

 have in one's possession, living or dead, birds on the protected list. 



On the whole the bird protection laws of Illinois are adequate to a high 

 degree. As to their enforcement, that is up to the final source of authority, 

 the gentle reader and the rest of the people. Jesse L. Smith. 



