﻿LEGISLATION. 
  19 
  

  

  Carolina 
  during' 
  the 
  same 
  season." 
  The 
  value 
  of 
  this 
  bird, 
  both 
  to 
  

   the 
  farmer 
  and 
  the 
  sportsman, 
  renders 
  the 
  question 
  of 
  its 
  maintenance 
  

   and 
  increase 
  one 
  of 
  much 
  importance. 
  So 
  assiduously 
  is 
  the 
  bob- 
  

   white 
  sought 
  by 
  sportsmen 
  and 
  market 
  hunters 
  that 
  intelligent 
  and 
  

   concerted 
  efforts 
  are 
  needed 
  even 
  to 
  maintain 
  its 
  present 
  numbers. 
  

  

  LEGISLATION 
  IN 
  BEHALF 
  OF 
  BOBWHITE. 
  

  

  In 
  addition 
  to 
  natural 
  causes, 
  reasons 
  for 
  the 
  diminished 
  numbers 
  

   of 
  bobwhites 
  are 
  diversity 
  in 
  the 
  open 
  season, 
  shooting 
  out 
  of 
  sea- 
  

   son, 
  excessive 
  shooting 
  in 
  season, 
  and 
  unrestricted 
  shooting 
  and 
  

   trapping 
  for 
  market. 
  Lack 
  of 
  uniformity 
  in 
  laws 
  of 
  adjoining 
  

   States, 
  and 
  in 
  some 
  cases 
  of 
  adjoining 
  counties, 
  renders 
  their 
  observ- 
  

   ance 
  difficult 
  and 
  their 
  enforcement 
  often 
  impossible. 
  No 
  other 
  

   game 
  bird 
  has 
  been 
  the 
  subject 
  of 
  so 
  much 
  legislation, 
  which, 
  begin- 
  

   ning 
  in 
  New 
  York 
  in 
  1791, 
  now 
  extends 
  to 
  every 
  State 
  and 
  Territory 
  

   where 
  the 
  bird 
  is 
  native 
  or 
  has 
  been 
  introduced. 
  The 
  length 
  of 
  sea- 
  

   son 
  during 
  which 
  the 
  bird 
  should 
  be 
  protected 
  by 
  law 
  is 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  

   paramount 
  importance. 
  It 
  goes 
  without 
  saying 
  that 
  no 
  shooting 
  

   should 
  be 
  permitted 
  during 
  the 
  breeding 
  season, 
  which 
  must 
  be 
  

   understood 
  to 
  last 
  until 
  the 
  young 
  of 
  the 
  year 
  are 
  strong 
  of 
  wing 
  and 
  

   fully 
  developed 
  for 
  the 
  struggle 
  for 
  existence. 
  Besides 
  this 
  the 
  close 
  

   season 
  ought 
  to 
  include 
  months 
  of 
  rest, 
  during 
  which 
  the 
  birds 
  can 
  

   fortify 
  themselves 
  for 
  the 
  physiological 
  strain 
  of 
  the 
  next 
  period 
  of 
  

   reproduction. 
  As 
  now 
  established 
  the 
  open 
  season 
  varies 
  from 
  

   twenty-one 
  days 
  in 
  Ohio 
  to 
  seven 
  months 
  in 
  Mississippi. 
  In 
  North 
  

   Carolina, 
  however, 
  where 
  nearly 
  every 
  county 
  has 
  its 
  own 
  law, 
  the 
  

   bobwhite 
  may 
  be 
  shot 
  throughout 
  the 
  year 
  in 
  five 
  counties. 
  Virginia 
  

   has 
  recently 
  abolished 
  county 
  laws 
  and 
  established 
  uniformity, 
  an 
  

   example 
  that 
  other 
  States, 
  especially 
  Southern 
  States, 
  would 
  do 
  well 
  

   to 
  follow. 
  It 
  is 
  gratifying 
  to 
  note 
  that 
  in 
  1903 
  the 
  open 
  seasons 
  

   were 
  shortened 
  by 
  New 
  York, 
  Illinois, 
  Texas, 
  and 
  Virginia. 
  In 
  

   eight 
  States 
  — 
  Maine, 
  Rhode 
  Island, 
  Wisconsin, 
  North 
  Dakota, 
  Mon- 
  

   tana, 
  Colorado, 
  Wyoming, 
  and 
  Utah 
  — 
  the 
  bobwhite 
  is 
  absolutely 
  

   protected 
  for 
  a 
  term 
  of 
  years, 
  extending 
  to 
  1920 
  in 
  Colorado. 
  Two 
  

   conditions 
  justify 
  such 
  prohibition 
  of 
  shooting. 
  First, 
  when 
  ex- 
  

   cessive 
  shooting 
  or 
  other 
  causes 
  have 
  made 
  recuperation 
  necessary; 
  

   second, 
  when 
  birds 
  just 
  introduced 
  into 
  a 
  new 
  locality 
  need 
  time 
  to 
  

   establish 
  themselves. 
  Wherever 
  the 
  bird 
  can 
  not 
  hold 
  its 
  own 
  with 
  

   an 
  open 
  season 
  of 
  three 
  weeks 
  absolute 
  protection 
  for 
  a 
  period 
  of 
  

   years 
  is 
  demanded. 
  The 
  length 
  of 
  the 
  open 
  season 
  must 
  vary 
  with 
  

   varying 
  conditions, 
  but 
  in 
  view 
  of 
  the 
  general 
  decrease 
  of 
  the 
  birds 
  

   there 
  would 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  growing 
  need 
  for 
  shortening 
  it. 
  The 
  sooner 
  

   Northern 
  States 
  limit 
  their 
  shooting 
  to 
  one 
  month 
  the 
  better. 
  Even 
  

  

  » 
  Recreation, 
  vol, 
  10, 
  p. 
  372, 
  

  

  