﻿206 
  Sixteenth 
  Annual 
  Report 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  interesting 
  to 
  note 
  that 
  in 
  the 
  three 
  years 
  that 
  general 
  

   hunters' 
  licenses 
  have 
  been 
  issued 
  two 
  counties 
  of 
  less 
  than 
  ioo,- 
  

   ooo 
  population 
  have 
  led 
  the 
  other 
  counties 
  of 
  the 
  State; 
  these 
  are 
  

   Suffolk, 
  which 
  has 
  twice 
  stood 
  at 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  list 
  and 
  once 
  in 
  

   second 
  place, 
  and 
  St. 
  Lawrence, 
  which 
  has 
  once 
  occupied 
  the 
  first 
  

   position 
  and 
  twice 
  the 
  second 
  place. 
  Next 
  to 
  these 
  counties 
  Erie 
  

   and 
  Monroe 
  have 
  contested 
  for 
  the 
  honors. 
  

  

  CHANGES 
  IN 
  THE 
  LAWS. 
  

  

  At 
  the 
  last 
  session 
  of 
  the 
  Legislature 
  several 
  important 
  changes 
  

   were 
  made 
  in 
  the 
  game 
  laws 
  and 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  minor 
  ones. 
  In 
  all 
  

   thirty-nine 
  sections 
  were 
  amended 
  and 
  one 
  new 
  section 
  added. 
  The 
  

   new 
  section 
  added 
  to 
  the 
  game 
  law 
  is 
  section 
  32-a, 
  which 
  

   gives 
  power 
  to 
  the 
  Commissioner 
  upon 
  the 
  request 
  of 
  a 
  majority 
  of 
  

   any 
  town 
  board, 
  to 
  designate 
  as 
  game 
  or 
  bird 
  refuges, 
  for 
  a 
  period 
  

   not 
  to 
  exceed 
  ten 
  years, 
  lands 
  set 
  aside 
  with 
  the 
  consent 
  of 
  the 
  

   owners 
  for 
  this 
  purpose. 
  No 
  hunting 
  whatever 
  can 
  be 
  done 
  upon 
  

   these 
  refuges. 
  

  

  The 
  duck 
  shooting 
  season 
  was 
  lengthened 
  ten 
  days 
  to 
  January 
  

   10th, 
  while 
  the 
  time 
  allowed 
  for 
  the 
  possession 
  of 
  State 
  ducks 
  was 
  

   shortened 
  six 
  weeks, 
  or 
  to 
  midnight 
  of 
  January 
  15th. 
  A 
  bonding 
  

   provision 
  was 
  added 
  permitting 
  bonded 
  dealers 
  and 
  hotels 
  to 
  sell 
  

   wild 
  fowl 
  from 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  between 
  January 
  10th 
  and 
  March 
  

   1st. 
  The 
  Long 
  Island 
  brant 
  law, 
  which 
  gave 
  a 
  special 
  season 
  for 
  

   brant 
  extending 
  four 
  months 
  beyond 
  the 
  regular 
  wild 
  fowl 
  season 
  

   and 
  which 
  was 
  the 
  cause 
  of 
  much 
  illegal 
  shooting 
  of 
  ducks, 
  was 
  

   repealed. 
  

  

  The 
  Shea 
  bill, 
  which 
  was 
  the 
  measure 
  advocated 
  by 
  the 
  National 
  

   Association 
  of 
  Audubon 
  Societies, 
  was 
  enacted 
  into 
  law. 
  This 
  

   bill 
  amended 
  section 
  98 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  make 
  the 
  prohibition 
  against 
  

   the 
  sale 
  of 
  the 
  plumage, 
  skin 
  or 
  body 
  of 
  any 
  bird 
  protected 
  by 
  the 
  

   section 
  apply 
  also 
  to 
  birds 
  coming 
  from 
  without 
  the 
  State, 
  

   as 
  well 
  as 
  to 
  State 
  birds, 
  provided 
  that 
  the 
  foreign 
  birds 
  belong 
  

   to 
  the 
  same 
  family 
  as 
  the 
  native 
  birds 
  which 
  were 
  protected. 
  

  

  