10 PREFACE. 



servatively estimated at from 2,500,000 to 3,000,000. To regulate 

 hunting by this constantly growing army of sportsmen it has been 

 found necessary to improve the efficiency of the warden service, and 

 since 1900 the number of States which have general officers in charge 

 of game law enforcement has advanced from 31 to 39. In Tennessee 

 the office of warden has been raised to the dignity of a department of 

 the State, and in 11 States the salary of the executive officer is $2,000 

 or more, reaching in New York the sum of $5,000 a year. The prob- 

 lem of providing funds necessary for the maintenance of the work 

 intrusted to these officers has been greatly simplified by the adoption 

 of the license system. In 1905 the funds available for game protec- 

 tion consisted of fees from hunting licenses amounting to more than 

 half a million dollars, specific appropriations aggregating about $350,- 

 000, and receipts from fines and miscellaneous sources probably suf- 

 ficient to bring the total up to nearly a million dollars. At least 9 

 States have already reached the point where the warden department 

 lias been placed on a self-sustaining basis. 



Knowledge of the provisions by which the laws are enforced is not 

 only important for economical and successful administration by offi- 

 cers specially charged with such duties, but is of value to many per- 

 sons interested in game protection, and especialty to residents of 

 States which have under consideration the establishment of a warden 

 system- best adapted to meet local needs and conditions. In order to 

 present this information in the most convenient form the present 

 bulletin has been divided into three parts: Part I contains a historical 

 summary of the evolution of the warden service and general discus- 

 sion of various features connected with warden work; Part II, a sum- 

 mary of the important provisions of the laws stated in the briefest 

 possible form and arranged in uniform sequence; Part III, extracts 

 from the statutes relating to game warden departments, duties and 

 powers of officers, and special provisions connected with administra- 

 tion. No effort has been spared to make the report as complete and 

 accurate as possible. In addition to extracts from the statutes, it con- 

 tains the results of seven years' observation of the methods of admin- 

 istering game laws and the conclusions of those who have contributed 

 to the discussion of points of special interest. The extracts from the 

 laws have been brought down to date by inclusion of the amendments 

 made in 1907; and in many instances the text is annotated by refer- 

 ences to decisions of the higher courts and to important articles in 

 sportsmen's journals for the benefit of those who may care to consult 

 the history or the discussion of special subjects. 



T. S. Palmer, 

 In Charge of Game Preservation. 



