ENFORCEMENT OP PROTECTIVE LAWS. 43 



Michigan: "Nothing in this act shall prevent the taking or catching alive of birds, 

 game or fish for domestication, propagation, or breeding purposes." (Public 

 Acts, 1893, No. 196, sec. 5.) 



Minnesota: "But nothing herein contained shall be construed to prevent the 

 keeping of song birds as domestic pets." (Gen. Laws, 1897, ch. 221, sec. 10.) 



New Jersey: " That nothing in this act shall be construed to prevent associations or 

 individuals from domesticating or bringing into this State any animals or birds 

 for the purpose of propagating the same, or keeping the same until a reasonable 

 opportunity offers for their release." (Gen. Public Laws, 1895, Ch. COLV, sec. 

 16.) 



Pennsylvania: "But nothing herein shall be construed to prevent the keeping of 

 song birds in cages as domestic pets." (Laws of 1897, no. 103, sec. 2, p. 124.) 



South. Carolina: "Provided, that nothing herein contained shall prohibit any 

 person from taking and keeping any bird of song or plumage for his own pleas- 

 ure or amusement, and not for sale, traffic, or gain." (Eev. Stat., 1893, Vol. II, 

 p. 405, sec. 427.) 



British Columbia: "Provided, however, it shall be lawful for the Provincial Secre- 

 tary, on such conditions as he shall think fit, by writing under his hand, to at 

 any time authorise any person to trap or have in his possession any birds, or take 

 eggs, for breeding or acclimatization purposes." (Stat., 1898, ch. 24, sec. 7.) 



Ontario: "Nothing in this act contained shall be held * * * to apply to any 

 imported cage birds or other domesticated bird or birds generally known as cage 

 birds." (Rev. Stat, 1897, ch. 289, sec. 1.) 



ENFORCEMENT OF PROTECTIVE LAWS. 



To the efforts of private individuals or organizations interested in 

 game protection are primarily due not only the existence, but what is 

 more important, the enforcement of most of the laws now on the statute 

 books. Probably no branch of criminal law depends so much for its 

 enforcement on the interest and public spirit of the individual as that 

 relating to the protection of game and birds. Experience has shown that 

 under ordinary circumstances such measures are apt to become dead let- 

 ters unless the regular officials charged with enforcing the laws happen 

 to be personally interested in game protection. For this reason special 

 officers, known as game wardens or deputy wardens, are usually 

 employed; and it is customary in many States, in case of conviction, 

 to pay part of the fine to the person instrumental in causing the aiTest, 

 as an inducement to bring violators of the game laws to justice. 



In the United States regulations for the protection of birds are 

 enforced by several different agencies, both State and private, which 

 may be conveniently arranged in four groups: (1) State fish and game 

 commissions or wardens, supported in twenty-nine States; (2) national 

 organizations, such as the League of American Sportsmen, which has 

 branches' in twenty -two States, and the American Ornithologists' Union, 

 which has a special committee on protection; (3) fish and game protective 

 associations — voluntary organizations of enthusiastic and public- 

 spirited Sportsmen, which have been formed in many States and which 

 are represented by State associations in at least seventeen; and, (4) 



