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Issued June 23, 1913. 
United States Department of Agriculture, 
BUREAU OF BIOLOGICAL SURVEY— Circular No. 93 . 
HENRY W. HENSHAW, Chief of Bureau. 
EXPLANATION OF THE PROPOSED REGULATIONS FOR 
THE PROTECTION OF MIGRATORY BIRDS. 
Laws for the protection of migratory birds hitherto enacted have 
usually provided long open seasons and have been framed mainly in 
the interests of the hunter rather than of the game. In preparing 
the regulations under the Federal law for the protection of migratory 
birds (3T Stat. 847), an effort has been made to reduce the open sea- 
sons to reasonable limits, to provide hunting at the time of the year 
when game birds are most abundant and in the best condition, and in 
all cases to give the benefit of the doubt to the bird. Recognizing the 
fact that many species of shore birds and some of the waterfowl have 
diminished to a point where they are approaching extinction, pro- 
tection has been extended to several species throughout the year and 
to others at least three-fourths of the year. The preparation of the 
regulations was intrusted to a committee of members of the Biological 
Survey appointed by the Acting Secretary of Agriculture on March 
^21, 1913. The members of this committee were: T. S. Palmer 
Assistant Chief, chairman; A. K. Fisher, In Charge of Economic 
Investigations; and W. W. Cooke, Migration Expert. The commit- 
tee at once took up the work of examining the data on file in the 
Biological Survey relating to the distribution, migration, and pro- 
tection of migratory birds, had a series of maps prepared, collected 
[much special information, and after numerous conferences recom- 
mended the regulations contained in Circular No. 92. These remda- 
tions differ from the ordinary restrictions under State laws, since 
they take into consideration the entire range of the species and the 
condition of the birds at all times of the year and not merely the local 
conditions when a certain species is most abundant in some particular 
State or region. 
BASIS OF THE REGULATIONS. 
In carrying out the statutory requirement of “ due regard to the 
zones of tempeiature, breeding habits, times and line of migratory 
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