/ THE LACEY ACT. 7l 



THE LACEY ACT. 

 31 Statutes at Larg-e, pp. 187-189. 



Chap. 553. An Act to enlarge the powers of the Department of Agriculture, prohibit the transportation 

 by interstate commerce of game killed in violation of local laws, and for other purposes. 



Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America 

 in Congress assemhled, That the duties and powers of the Department of Agriculture 

 are hereby enlarged so as to include the preservation, distribution, introduction, and 

 restoration of game birds and other wild birds. The Secretary of Agriculture is 

 hereby authorized to adopt such measures as may be necessary to carry out the pur- 

 poses of this Act and to purchase such game birds and other wild birds as may be 

 required therefor, subject, however, to the laws of the various States and Territories. 

 The object and purpose of this Act is to aid in the restoration of such birds in those 

 parts of the United States adapted thereto wiiere the same have become scarce or 

 extinct, and also to regulate the introduction of American or foreign birds or animals 

 in localities where they have not heretofore existed. 



The Secretary of Agriculture shall from time to time collect and publish useful 

 information as to the propagation, uses, and preservation of such birds. 



And the Secretary of Agriculture shall make and publish all needful rules and 

 regulations for carrying out the purposes of this Act, and shall expend for said pur- 

 poses such sums as Congress may appropriate therefor. 



Sec. 2. That it shall be unlawful for any person or persons to import into the 

 United States any foreign wild animal or bird except under special permit from the 

 United States Department of Agriculture: Provided, That nothing in this section 

 shall restrict the importation of natural history specimens for museums or scientific 

 collections, or the importation of certain cage birds, such as domesticated canaries, 

 parrots, or such other species as the Secretary of Agriculture may designate.^ 



The importation of the mongoose, the so-called ' ' flying foxes ' ' or fruit bats, the 

 English sparrow, the starling, or such other birds or animals as the Secretary of 

 Agriculture may from time to time declare injurious to the interest of agriculture or 

 horticulture is hereby j)rohibited, and such species upon arrival at any of the ports 

 of the United States shall be destroyed or returned at the expense of the owner. 

 The Secretary of the Treasury is hereby authorized to make regulations for carrying 

 into effect the provisions of this section.^ 



Sec. 3. That it shall be unlawful for any person or persons to deliver to any com- 

 mon carrier, or for any common carrier to transport from one State or Territory to 

 another State or Territory, or from the District of Columbia or Alaska to any State 

 or Territory, or from any State or Territory to the District of Columbia or Alaska, 

 any foreign animals or birds the importation of which is prohibited, or the dead 

 bodies or parts thereof of any wild animals or birds, where such animals or birds 

 have been killed in violation of the laws of the State, Territory, or District in which 

 the same were killed: Provided, That nothing herein shall prevent the transportation 



^On September 13, 1900, the Secretary of Agriculture (Circular No. 30, Biol. Surv. ) 

 extended the list of species which may be imported without permits as follows: 



MammaJs. — Anteaters, armadillos, bears, chimpanzees, elephants, hippopotamuses, 

 hyenas, jaguars, kangaroos, leopards, lions, lynxes, manatees, monkeys, ocelots, 

 orang-utans, panthers, raccoons, rhinoceroses, sea-lions, seals, sloths, tapirs, tigers, 

 or wildcats. 



Birds. — Swans, wild doves, or wild pigeons of any kind. 



Reptiles. — Alligators, lizards, snakes, tortoises, or other reptiles. 



■•^ See Circular No. 101, Division of Customs, issued June 28, 1900; for regulations 

 of the Department of Agriculture see Circular No. 29, Biological Survey, issued July 

 13, 1900. 



