234 THE IMPORTANCE OF BIRD LIFE 



in one country will be protected by the full weight 

 of the law, while in the land across the way it will 

 be a much-sought-for game-bird. Cases in point 

 are Italy and France. Game-birds, in France are 

 strictly limited to- a few orders or families partic- 

 ularly palatable when on the table. These are 

 protected by long closed seasons, and the killing 

 of any other species — except in parts of southern 

 France — is prohibited at all times. Just across 

 the border lies Italy with few or no game-laws. 

 Birds there belong to the individual and may be 

 slaughtered at will. France's song-birds, then, 

 are Italy's game-birds. 



In the broadest sense game-birds are any wild 

 birds that are hunted as food. The early Egyp- 

 tians feasted on ducks, geese, and storks ; the game 

 of the Romans included any bird thaj; was edi- 

 I)le ; the dodo of Mauritius, later exterminated by 

 swine, was used as food more than two hundred 

 years ago by the Dutch ; fully a century has passed 

 since the last moa went to feed the Maoris of New 

 Zealand ; and the sandhill crane was long hunted 

 in America until it was brought to the verge of 

 extinction. These were all considered game-birds 

 while their day lasted. 



Any creature that would do for the pot ! Such 

 was the sad fate of birds in all civilized countries 

 until the last century was well advanced. The 

 first settlers in America found the region actually 

 teeming with game of all kinds. For this they 



