THE GAME BREEDER 



111 



increase of the game every year so that 

 a few hundred thousand birds might 

 easily be served to the people. 



Game Law Novelties. 



In Farmers Bulletin No. 774, issued 

 by T. S. Palmer, W. F. Bancroft and 

 Frank L. Earnshaw. assistants, Biolog- 

 ical Survey. U. S. Department of Agri- 

 culture, several game laws are referred 

 to. On page 3. we are told: "Among 

 the novel acts of the year may be men- 

 tioned that of New Jersey — in an effort 

 to prevent accidents in the field — pro- 

 hibiting a person from going into the 

 woods or fields with firearms when un- 

 der the influence of any drug or intoxi- 

 cating liquor ; and that of New York 

 making it unlawful to pursue flocks of 

 ducks in fresh water in such a manner 

 as to drive them away from the neigh- 

 borhood." 



These are fresh novelties, indeed, but 

 no more remarkable than many old enact- 

 ments, such as the law prohibiting the 

 sailing on the bay on the Lord's day 

 for the purpose of locating ducks for a 

 future day, and many others. The 

 money expended for game law novelties 

 would feed the world with game if it 

 could be used to encourage game breed- 

 ing. 



An Able Bulletin. 



The bulletin 774, above referred to, is a 

 painstaking document of sixty-four 

 pages. It attempts to set forth a sum- 

 mary of the many game laws enacted 

 during the year. Among the subjects 

 discussed are, the new convention or 

 treaty relating to migratory birds ; the 

 open seasons for game in the United 

 States and Canada; the shipment of 

 game ; federal laws ; state laws prohibit- 

 ing export ; the sale of game ; sale in 

 close season ; sale in open season ; sale- 

 prohibited all the year ; disposition of 

 game raised' in captivity ; bag limits ; 

 minimum age limits for hunting; li- 

 censes for hunting game and details of 

 hunting licenses. 



Any one who would give the time to 

 a careful study of the numerous enact- 



ments referred to in the bulletin would 

 have no time to go shooting and the laws> 

 no doubt, will be changed much before 

 any one has time to find out what they 

 are. The document will be valuable, 

 however, for the future historian who 

 will record the game law absurdities and 

 the scarcity of game which always has 

 followed their enactment. 



A New Report on Bird Enemies. 



The Massachusetts State Board of 

 Agriculture has published a very inter- 

 esting bulletin on "The Natural Enemies 

 of Birds," by E. H. Forbush, State Orni- 

 thologist. In this book Mr. Forbush has 

 compiled a great amount of valuable ma- 

 terial and the conclusions drawn by him 

 will serve as his professional advice to 

 those interested in the welfare of birds. 

 The pith of his message is that we 

 should exercise the greatest care before 

 condemning any creature as injurious. 

 His demonstration of the complex 

 economic relations in nature is extremely 

 interesting to the nature lover. Copies 

 of this bulletin may be obtained from the 

 State Board of Agriculture, Room 136, 

 State House. It is Hsted as "Economic 

 Biology, Bulletin No. 3, The Natural 

 Enemies of Birds." 



How About the Ducks? 



We invite our readers' attention to the 

 pictures of mallards printed on the 

 cover, and would like to have the opin- 

 ions of some of the experts as to the 

 quality of the birds. Are they true wild 

 mallards or are they domesticated birds ? 

 Are these birds strong on the wing and 

 suitable for sport? We have a record 

 about these birds sent by a breeder but 

 before printing it we shall be pleased to 

 hear from the experts. 



If the millions of dollars expended an- 

 nually for game protection cannot pro- 

 duce any game for the people to eat, 

 those interested in securing more laws 

 should be willing to let the game breeders 

 use a few of the farms which are now 

 posted and a few of ihe marshes and 

 ponds which soon may be drained, ' for 

 profitable game production. 



