FULL TEXT OF THE LACEY BIRD LAW. 



An Act to enlarge the powers of the 

 Department of Agriculture, prohibit the 

 transportation by interstate commerce of 

 game killed in violation of local laws, and 

 for other purposes. 



Be it enacted by the Senate and House 

 of Representatives of the United States of 

 America in Congress assembled, That the 

 duties and powers of the Department of 

 Agriculture are hereby enlarged so as to 

 include the preservation, distribution, in- 

 troduction, and restoration of game birds 

 and other wild birds. The Secretary of 

 Agriculture is hereby authorized to adopt 

 such measures as may be necessary to carry 

 out the purposes of this act and to pur- 

 chase such game birds and other wild birds 

 as may be required therefor, subject, how- 

 ever, to the laws of the various States and 

 Territories. The object and purpose of 

 this Act is to aid in the restoration of such 

 birds in those parts of the United States 

 adapted thereto where the same have be- 

 come scarce or extinct, and also to regu- 

 late the introduction of American or for- 

 eign birds or animals in localities where 

 they have not heretofore existed. 



The Secretary of Agriculture shall from 

 time to time collect and publish useful in- 

 formation as to the propagation, uses and 

 preservation of such birds. 



And the Secretary of Agriculture shall 

 make and publish all needful rules and 

 regulations for carrying out the purposes 

 of this act, and shall exoend for said pur- 

 poses such sums as Congress may appro- 

 priate therefor. 



Section 2. That it shall be unlawful for 

 any person or persons to import into the 

 United States any foreign wild animal or 

 bird except under special permit from the 

 United States Department of Agriculture: 

 Provided, That nothing in this section shall 

 restrict the importation of natural history 

 specimens for museums or scientific collec- 

 tions, or the importation of certain cage 

 birds, such as domesticated canaries, par- 

 rots, or such other species as the Secretary 

 of Agriculture may designate. 



The importation of the mongoose, the 

 so-called "flying foxes" or fruit bats, the 

 English sparrow, the starling, or such 

 other birds or animals as the Secretary of 

 Agriculture may from time to time declare 

 injurious to the interest of agriculture or 

 horticulture is hereby prohibited, and such 

 species upon arrival at any of the ports of 

 the United States shall be destroyed or re- 

 turned at the expense of the owner. The 

 Secretary of the Treasury is hereby au- 

 thorized to make regulations for carrying 

 into effect the provisions of this section. 



Section 3. That it shall be unlawful for 

 any person or persons to deliver to any 

 common carrier, or for any common car- 

 rier to transport from one State or Terri- 

 tory to another State or Territory, or from 

 the District of Columbia or Alaska to any 

 State or Territory, or from any State or 

 Territory to the District of Columbia or 

 Alaska, any foreign animals or birds the 

 importation of which is prohibited, or the 

 dead bodies or parts thereof of any wild 

 animals or birds, where such animals or 

 birds have been killed in violation of the 

 laws of the State, Territory or District in 

 which the same were killed : Provided, 

 That nothing herein shall prevent the 

 transportation of anv dead birds or ani- 

 mals killed during the season when the 

 same may be lawfully captured, and the 

 export of which is not prohibited by law 

 in the State, Territory or District in which 

 the same are killed. 



Section 4. That all packages containing 

 such dead animals, birds, or parts thereof, 

 when shipped by interstate commerce, as 

 provided in section one of this act, shall 

 be plainly and clearly marked, so that the 

 name and address of the shipper and the 

 nature of the contents may be readily as- 

 certained on inspection of the outside of 

 such packages. For each evasion or vio- 

 lation of this act the shipper shall, upon 

 conviction, pay a fine of not exceeding two 

 hundred dollars ; and the consignee know- 

 ingly receiving such articles so shipped and 

 transported in violation of this act shall, 

 upon conviction, pay a fine of not exceed- 

 ing two hundred dollars ; and the carrier 

 knowingly carrying or transporting the 

 same shall, upon conviction, pay a fine of 

 not exceeding two hundred dollars. 



Section 5. That all dead bodies, or parts 

 thereof, of any foreign game animals, or 

 game or song birds, the importation of 

 which is prohibited, or the dead bodies, or 

 parts thereof, of any wild game animals, or 

 game or song birds transported into any 

 State or Territory, or remaining therein 

 for use, consumption, sale, or storage 

 therein, shall upon arrival in such State or 

 Territory be subject to the operation and 

 effect of the laws of such State or Terri- , 

 tory enacted in the exercise of its police 

 powers, to the same extent and in the same 

 manner as though such animals or bird? 

 had been produced in such State or Terri- 

 tory, and shall not be exempt therefrom by j 

 reason of being introduced therein in orig- 

 inal packages or otherwise. This act shall 

 not prevent the importation, transportation; 

 or sale of birds or bird plumage manu- 

 factured from the feathers of barnyard 

 fowl. — Approved May 25, 1900. 



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