198 Fourth Annual Report of the 



wild life of the State; but believe that the grading of protectors 

 should rest absolutely with this Commission, as they are better 

 able to judge of the men who should be placed in the first grade. 

 At the present time the rating of these men rests with the State 

 Civil Service Commission. The law should be amended so that 

 the rating of the protectors will be the prerogative of the Com- 

 mission. 



SPECIAL PROTECTORS 

 While I realize the necessity in certain instances for special 

 protectors, especially where a man is acting as a game keeper, 

 or superintendent of a preserve, or is a hatchery foreman or 

 superintendent or foreman of a game farm, except in such 

 instances I am adverse to the appointment of special protectors. 

 Experience has shown that in a great many cases they have but 

 a slight knowledge of the provisions of the conservation law 

 giving protection to fish and game. This has been corrected 

 somewhat by the law which now requires that a person in order 

 to become a special protector must pass a non-competitive exam- 

 ination ; but I find that the examination has not been the means 

 of placing the special protectors on a plane with the regulars. 

 This is caused primarily by the fact that a special protector does 

 not give his whole attention to the work of protecting the fish 

 and game, and therefore not being continually brought in contact 

 with the conservation law, is not well acquainted with its provi- 

 sions. I am thoroughly convinced that with ,a force of two 

 hundred men, special protectors would be unnecessary. 'Special 

 protectors are prone to prosecute violations of a very technical 

 nature, for the purpose of deriving a benefit from the moiety 

 which they receive as compensation for ijheir work, which tends 

 to bring the Commission and the law into bad repute. 



HUNTING ACCIDENTS 



I find that the record shows that during the 1914 deer season 

 there were five deer hunting accidents, three of which were fatal. 

 Not one of these victims, as far as any evidence shows, was mis- 

 taken for a deer. Seventeen minor accidents occurred in 1914 

 while hunters were in pursuit of small game. In my opinion 



