200 WILD LIFE PROTECTION FUND 



Jan. 2 9. — Abraham Kallman hauled the smuggled trunk to the rail- 

 way station at Laredo, and when about to have it placed on the 

 train for San Antonio he was arrested. An examination of the 

 trunk revealed the presence of 527 skins of the greater bird 

 of paradise, which had been purchased from Benjamin, Wil- 

 liams & Co., of London, England, and originally were shipped 

 from British India. 



At the trial before the U. S. District Court, Abraham Kall- 

 man pleaded guilty, was sentenced to serve six months in the 

 Webb County jail at Laredo, and to pay a fine of $2,500. He 

 served his term, and the fine was paid through the American 

 Surety Company of New York. The birds of paradise were for- 

 feited to the United States, and were ordered sold. The United 

 States Attorney General filed an appeal, which was sustained, 

 and the Court ordered that the birds be turned over to the 

 Treasury Department for disposition. 



In order that the seized plumage might serve a useful pur- 

 pose, the Treasury Department ordered that the entire lot be 

 turned over to the New York Zoological Society for educational 

 purposes. 



Feb. 12. — The international treaty for migratory birds was found at 

 the offices of the British Embassy at Washington, and the 

 British Ambassador immediately forwarded the document to 

 the State Department. 



Feb. 12. — On account of 20 linguistic changes advised by the Solici- 

 tor of the Department of Agriculture, in the Chamberlain-Hay- 

 den bill, Senator Chamberlain incorporated two of the pro- 

 posed amendments, and reintroduced his bill (S. 4,418). 



Feb. 17. — For the same reason Representative Hayden reintroduced 

 his bill in the House (H. R. 11,712); and it was referred to 

 Committee on Agriculture, as before. 



Feb. 17. — The British Ambassador forwarded to the State Depart- 

 ment the draft for an international treaty for the protection of 

 migratory birds that was approved by the Privy Council of Can- 

 ada in June, 1915. British Columbia and Nova Scotia made 

 certain exceptions to portions of the draft. 



Feb. 28. — The United States Supreme Court announced that the case 

 of the United States vs. Shauver, involving the constitutionality 

 of the federal migratory bird law, will be re-argued. Presum- 

 ably the Court stood evenly divided (4 to 4) on the appeal. 

 The rehearing must await the appointment of the ninth judge. 



Mar. 1. — The Virginia legislators of 1915-16 enacted 31 separate 

 bills, each one either protecting game generally for the state or 

 specifically in some county. The laws passed provided for a 

 state game commissioner, the prevention of the sale of the 

 plumage of any bird not a game bird, the prevention of the 

 sale of wild turkeys, and for the making of a game sanctuary 

 in the Massanutten Forest Reserve. Unfortunately, all the 

 other laws enacted were county laws. In some counties deer 

 were protected for various periods, ranging from three to five 

 years. 



