THE GAME BREEDER 143 



GAME BREEDING IN PENNSYLVANIA. 



By the Editor. 



The new game breeders' law for Penn- quirement is not onerous to deer breed- 



sylvania contains two highly meritorious ers. 



provisions : ( 1 ) It is now legal to breed The regulations for bird breeding are 



all species of game; (2) Permits can be far more objectionable. In places where 



obtained to trap breeding stock. game is bred for sport it is evident more 



Often we have pointed out the ab- birds will be taken by the public if the 



surdity, which originated in the New game be permitted to escape than if it 



York statute, of only permitting breed- be roofed over. To say nothing about 



ers to profitably breed imported pheas- the cost of the roofing, the law provides : 



ants and two common species of ducks "Sec. 7. A certificate, to be known 



which least need the game breeders' at- as a propagating certificate,* may be is- 



tention on account of their abundance, sued by the Board of Game Commis- 



The wood-duck and other rare and van- sioners to any accredited person residing 



ishing birds should be carefully looked within this commonwealth of the age of 



after and made plentiful. They are twenty-one years or upwards, permitting 



more profitable than the common mal- the holder thereof and his assistants to 



lard. breed or raise game quadrupeds or game 



Often we have pointed out the neces- birds of any kind, both or either, and to 



sity for obtaining stock birds for prop- sell the same, dead or alive, at any time 



agation. In the July issue of The within the commonwealth, under the fol- 



Game Breeder Mr. Dusette told us that lowing restrictions." 



from a few trapped ducks, taken under Briefly the important restrictions are 



a permit issued by his state, he soon had that a petition be filed describing the 



several thousand ducks. Although he premises and asking for the permit or 



sells thousands of birds, alive for breed- certificate, "which said premises, in the 



ing purposes and in the market as food, matter of the raising of small game, may 



there never is any danger of extinction, be in such form as to the operator there- 



but, on the other hand, he can increase of seems best suited to his purposes, so 



his output any season and can keep up long as wild game is prevented from 



a high standard of excellence by trap- coming on the said property." The fee 



ping a few new stock birds each year is $1.00 and a bond of $500 is required 



and adding them to his breeding flocks, from the applicant. 



As is usual in new game breeders' en- Numerous records are required to be 



actments there are some provisions in, kept and the bird cages are subject to 



the Pennsylvania law which should not inspection by the state, 



be there. The deer breeder is required Shipping packages must have a card 



to have an eight foot fence to prevent or marker attached to be supplied at cost 



any wild game getting into the inclosure. in duplicate and upon which shall appear 



Since it is evident that the deer will be the name and address of the purchaser 



far more abundant in places where they with the contents of the package. One 



are properly looked after than they are card shall be sent to the Game Commis- 



outside of such preserves it would seem sioners. 



that the public would be better oflf if The law indirectly is intended to car- 

 some game be permitted to escape espe- ry out the "otherwise than by shooting" 

 cially from deer parks where deer are nonsense which has occurred in some 

 shot. The commercial deer breeders, statutes, since no one would desire to 

 however, for the most part, prefer not shoot birds in a cage, into which "wild 

 to have their deer escape, so that the re- birds cannot enter." 



