66 Bird Day Book 



THE CONSERVATION OF WILD LIFE IN ALABAMA 



P 



RIOR to the enactment of our present system of game and 

 bird conservation we struggled along under the operation of 

 local game laws that were totally inefficient and non-enforce- 

 able. Each year every species of wild life was being rapidly 

 depleted. Hundreds of thousands of our live quail were trapped 

 and shipped to northern markets, while thousands of dozens of 

 these birds were slaughtered by pot-hunters and expressed to dis- 

 tant cities where they brought fancy prices at restaurants. 



Deer and wild turkey were disappearing; doves were growing 

 fewer ; squirrels were deplorably scarce. 



If a census of the game in Alabama had been taken in 1907 and 

 then again in 1914 the result would undoubtedly show that during 

 the last seven years game and birds have increased in Alabama at 

 least two-fold. The cause of the multiplication of the wild species 

 is due to the following reasons : 



(a) The close season on game is universally respected. 



(b) The transportation of game to points within and without 

 the State by common-carriers has been absolutely stopped. 



(c) The sale of game, except in remote instances and then only 

 very surreptitiously, has ceased. The pot-hunter therefore having 

 been deprived of enjoying the monetary fruits of his murderous 

 vocation has stopped the butchery of game. 



(d) The prerequisite of persons hunting outside of their voting 

 precinct of residence without licenses has kept hundreds of members 

 of the idle and worthless classes found in towns and cities, out of 

 the fields and forests. 



(e) The provision of the law requiring written permission to 

 hunt on lands has reduced the area over which hunting was formerly 

 done and therefore has permitted game to increase in many localities 

 without molestation. 



