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THE GAME BREEDER 



T^5 Game Breeder 



Published Monthly 

 Edited by DWIGHT W. HUNTINGTON 



NEW YORK, APRIL, 1917. 



TERMS: 



10 Cents a Copy — $1.00 a year in Advance. 



Postage free to all subscribers in the United States. 

 To All Foreign Countries and Canada, $1.25. 



The Game Conservation Society, Inc. 

 publishers, 150 nassau st., new york 



D. W. Huntington, President, 



F. R Peixotto, Treasurer, 



J. C. Huntington, Secretary. 

 Telephone, Beekman 3685. 



TWO SIMILAR CASES. 



The attempt to collect a fine in New 

 York because a breeder took a few wild 

 ducks for breeding purposes when he 

 was trapping his own ducks is very 

 similar to the attempt in California to 

 collect a big fine from Miss Mary Rahl- 

 man because she took some quail eggs 

 for the purpose of producing a lot of 

 quail. The California Commission han- 

 dled their case properly and collected 

 no fine. We hope the New York Con- 

 servation Commissioner will see the ab- 

 surdity of a fine in order to prevent 

 food production. The law, of course, 

 should be amended to end absurdity. 



QUAIL BREEDING. 



It is gratifying to have reports of the 

 safe arrival of the quail which our so- 

 ciety has been giving as prizes to some 

 of its members. We hope during the 

 year to be able to place some quail in 

 the hands of skilled breeders in every 

 State excepting the States which regard 

 the quail as a songbird and unsuitable 

 for food. Farms, of course, will be 

 more valuable in the free States than 

 they will be in prohibition States and 

 when the farmers observe the difference 

 in value the quail again may be restored 

 to the food-bird list where Audubon 

 placed it, and where all real naturalists 

 say it should be placed. 



THE TITLE TO GAME. 



In most parts of the country where 

 breeders have game birds which they 

 have reared from stock birds or eggs 

 legally obtained there seems to be no 

 objection to their selling and shipping 

 their birds and eggs, for propagation 

 purposes. Some States permit the tak- 

 ing of wild birds and eggs for propaga- 

 tion and such game also is sold and 

 shipped freely.' 



The question of title is important and 

 we are pleased to observe that the non- 

 sense which prevented breeders owning 

 birds with a good title from selling and ^ 

 shipping them, rapidly has disappeared. 



The courts we are sure will in the fu- 

 ture protect food producers in all cases 

 where the title to their game is perfect. 

 This is as it should be. All poultry, in- 

 cluding the turkeys, are descended from 

 stock which once was wild and it would 

 seem to be necessary to stop the selling 

 and shipping of poultry if the owners 

 of reared game be prevented from mar- 

 keting their birds. 



In order that our markets quickly can 

 be filled with all species of game it be- 

 comes more and more important that 

 breeders should obtain stock birds with 

 a good title. Often we have pointed out 

 the necessity for granting permits to 

 trap the needed stock. Such industry 

 easily can be regulated and it must be 

 evident to everyone that the breeders 

 will produce millions of game birds very 

 quickly provided they can procure the 

 breeding stock. The prices received for 

 birds and eggs are inviting. The out- 

 rageous raid on a Long Island game 

 farm, because the keepers took a few 

 wild fowl, when trapping their own birds 

 in order to increase their numbers, 

 should be followed by an amendment to 

 the laws so as to provide for permits to 

 take breeding stock. 



Often we have said that it should not 

 be legal for every gunner to destroy 

 hundreds of birds in a season and illegal 

 for a breeder to take any for the purpose 

 of multiplying their numbers. 



Some State laws require breeders to 

 procure their stock "from without the - 



