contributed perhaps more than any other cause to the de¬ 
pletion of the supply, and has created an almost universal 
demand for laws prohibiting their sale. As a necessary 
measure to conserve the supply and increase the breeding 
stock, the regulations do not provide for the sale of any 
migratory birds, except for scientific or propagating pur¬ 
poses under permit, and as a consequence it is unlawful to 
sell wild ducks or other migratory birds for commercial 
purposes anywhere in the United States. . For many years 
most States have had laws prohibiting the sale of game dur¬ 
ing part or all of the year, but the open markets in near-by 
States made it profitable for the market hunter to continue 
in his destructive vocation, as it was always possible for him 
surreptitiously to ship the birds to the markets where they 
could be sold lawfully. The closing of the markets will 
make it more difficult to dispose of the birds and will remove 
the incentive to slaughter them in such large numbers. This 
prohibition against the sale of migratory birds has been very 
generally approved by sportsmen and conservationists and 
by the United States Food Administration. 
birds has created a great demand for domesticated birds to 
supply the market. To meet these demands, the regulations 
under the treaty act make suitable and liberal provisions for 
the propagation of migratory waterfowl. These provisions 
apply to all persons who possess migratory waterfowl for 
any purpose. 
Permits are issued free of charge by the Secretary of Ag- 
rieuitui'e, through the Bureau of Biological Survey, author¬ 
izing persons to acquire a limited number of wild water- 
fowl, to be used as the nucleus of a breeding stock or to 
strengthen the strain of birds already possessed, and to pos¬ 
sess and traffic in domesticated migratory waterfowl for food 
purposes. 
Aside from the necessity of obtaining Federal permits, 
marking packages in which the birds or eggs are shipped, 
and reporting to the Secretary of Agriculture on operations 
