230 THE IMPORTANCE OF BIKD LIFE 



Jersey or Maryland were sold with perfect se- 

 curity in New York. If they could be smuggled 

 out of the State where they had met their demise, 

 all was well. So long as they had not been killed 

 in New York State, the game dealers had a per- 

 fect right under the law to dispose of them. 



At last, however, the now famous Bayne Law, 

 which prohibits the sale of American wild game 

 and limits the sale of imported foreign game, 

 was passed in New York. Within the next ten 

 years every State in the Union but four had 

 followed her example; and in the recalcitrant 

 States — Colorado, Montana, Washington, and New 

 Mexico — the sale of game-birds taken within the 

 State is now forbidden. 



The Federal Government in 1916 passed an act 

 for the protection of migratory birds. The sale 

 of any such, including water-fowls, shore-birds, 

 snipe, woodcock, and rails, was prohibited through- 

 out the United States. The knell of the market 

 hunter had sounded. The profession in this 

 country went suddenly out of existence. 



5 i 



An Economic Resource of the United States 



Before closing it is necessary to add a few words 

 concerning the number of game-birds now legiti- 

 mately shot during the open season. Virtually 

 all of these are eaten either by the gunner or his 



