THE GAME BREEDER 57 



many States have) which even the best cians to execute these numerous criminal 

 lawyers are presumed not to know, enactments or regulations. The States 

 Many fanciful crimes, in which the ele- have ascertained that fanciful criminal 

 ment of wrong-doing is absent, have been laws,- although enacted in vast numbers, 

 created by State legislatures. A citizen have not saved much game. 

 has been arrested and fined heavily be- There would seem to be no harm in 

 cause he received a present of a grouse, having a national law, uniform and uni- 

 legally taken in Scotland and sent by a versal, prohibiting in simple terms the 

 friend. It is a crime to take a game bird killing of migratory birds during the 

 on one side of a creek, although it is not a nesting season. It is quite another mat- 

 crime to take it on the other side of the ter for a great nation to delegate the 

 creek. It is a crime to take a trout in power to make many new crimes in vari- 

 one end of a stream and not a crime to ous criminal zones, 

 take it a few feet away, across an imag- . 

 inary line, in the same stream. Such 



criminal enactments have been multiplied Regulations for the Issue of Permits 



by State legislatures, and they have a for Quail Imported Into the 



tendency to bring more important laws United States from North- 



into disrepute, since the laws are often eastern Mexico. 



violated with impunity. These laws re- ^rr .. XT , , 1fl1K 



quire an extraordinary and unusual Effective November 1, 1915. 



police force to execute them, which too Under authority of Section 1 of the 

 often in some States has become a small act of Congress approved May 25, 1900 

 political army, and in such cases worth- (31 Stat. 187), authorizing the Secretary 

 less in so far as game saving is con- of Agriculture to adopt such measures 

 cerned. At a State meeting of sports- as may be neccessary for the preserva- 

 men in Maine recently one of the speak- tion, distribution, and introduction of 

 ers said they were engaged in restoring game birds, and of Section 241 of the 

 700 fanciful game laws, which only were act of Congress approved March 4, 1909 

 repealed two years ago, and he feared (35 Stat. 1088), prohibiting the importa- 

 that they would be made the "laughing tion into the United States of such birds 

 stock" of the country. as the Secretary of Agriculture may de- 

 We regret much to see the National clare to be injurious to the interests of 

 Government setting out on such a course, agriculture or horticulture, and prohibit- 

 It is not creditable to the Agricultural ing the importation of any foreign wild 

 Department. The numerous regulations bird except under permit from the See- 

 under the migratory bird act, which even retary of Agriculture, permits for the 

 are said to make the dove a migratory importation of quail from northeastern 

 bird in one part of the country and not a Mexico will be issued on and after No- 

 migratory bird in another part of the vember 1, 1915, and until further notice, 

 country, in order to please local interests, but in order to prevent the entry of quail 

 are on a par with many of the State infected with the disease commonly 

 criminal enactments, and we believe the known as 'quail disease' such permits 

 time has come to invite the attention of will be issued, subject to inspection and 

 law-makers and the people who are in- quarantine of the birds, under the fol- 

 terested in the wild food animals to the lowing regulations. *. 

 fact that the sample regulations already (Signed) D. F. Houston, 

 made create many fanciful crimes on one October 16, 1915. Secretary. 

 or the other side of imaginary lines ~ ,-, 

 drawn through marshes and over hills, _ PoRTS 0F Entry ' 

 that the tendency will be to increase the Regulation 1. With the approval of 

 number of the criminal regulations in the Secretary of the Treasury the fol- 

 order to please the people in various lowing named ports are hereby desig- 

 localities; that it will be deemed neces- nated as inspection and quarantine sta- 

 sary to have a standing army of politi- tions, and permits, for the entry of quail 



