Oct. ii, 1913. 
FOREST AND STREAM 
463 
Regulations for the Protection of Migratory Birds 
By the President of the United States of America 
A Proclamation 
W HEREAS, an Act of Congress, approved March fourth, nineteen hundred and 
thirteen, entitled “An Act making appropriations for 
Agriculture for the fiscal year' ending June thirtieth, nineteen hundred 
fourteen” (37 Stat., 847), contains provisions as follows: 
All wild geese, wild swans, brant, wild ducks, snipe, plover, woodcock rail, 
wild pigeons, and all other migratory game and insectivorous birds ™?‘ ch n ' 
their northern and southern migrations pass through or do not remain pe 
manently the entire year witnin the borders of any State or 1 , e, T | lt ° I 7.’ ® 
hereafter be deemed to be within the custody and protection of the govern¬ 
ment of the United States, and shall not be destroyed or taken contrary to 
regulations hereinafter provided therefor. , ,. ., . 
The Department of Agriculture is hereby authorized and directed to adopt 
suitable regulations to give effect to the previous paragraph by prescribing and 
fixing closed seasons, having due regard to the zones of temperature, breeding 
habits and times and line of migratory flight, thereby enabling the department 
to select and designate suitable districts for different portions of the country, 
and it shall be unlawful to shoot or by any device kill or seize and capture migratory 
birds within the protection of this law during said closed seasons, and any 
person who shall violate any of the provisions or regulations ot this law for the 
protection of migratory birds shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be fined 
not nwre than $100 or imprisoned not more than ninety days, or both, in the 
discretion of the court. , ., . ..__ 
The Department of Agriculture, after the preparation of said regulations, 
shall cause tne same to be made public, and shall allow a period of three 
months in which said regulations may be examined and considered before 
final adoption, permitting, when deemed proper, public hearings thereon, and 
after final adoption shall cause the same to be engrossed and submitted to the 
President of the United States for approval: Provided, however, lhat nothing 
herein contained shall be deemed to affect or interfere with the local laws of 
the States and Territories for the protection of nonmigratory game or other 
birds resident and breeding within their borders, nor to prevent the States and 
Territories from enacting laws and regulations to promote and render efficient 
the regulations of the Department of Agriculture provided under this statute. 
Whereas the Department of Agriculture has duly prepared suitable regulations 
to give effect to the foregoing provisions of said Act and after the preparation ot 
said regulations has caused the same to be made public and has allowed a period 
of three months in which said regulations might be examined and considered before 
final adoption, and has permitted public hearings thereon; 
And Whereas, the Department of Agriculture has adopted the regulations here¬ 
inafter set forth and after final adoption thereof has caused the same to be engrossed 
and submitted to the President of the United States for approval; 
Now, Therefore, 1, Woodrow Wilson, President of the United States of 
America,’ by authority in me vested do hereby proclaim and make known the fol¬ 
lowing regulations for carrying into effect the foregoing provisions of said Act: 
Regulation 1. Definitions. 
For the purposes of these regulations the following shall be considered migratory 
game birds: 
(a) Anatidie or waterfowl, including brant, wild ducks, geese, and swans. 
( b ) (iruida: or cranes, including little brown, sandhill, and whooping cranes. 
( c ) Rallidae or rails, including coots, gallinules, and sora and other rails. 
id) Limicolfe or shore birds, including avocets, curlew, dowitchers, godwits, 
knots, oyster catchers, phalaropes, plover, sandpipers, snipe, stilts, surf birds, turn- 
stones, willet, woodcock, and yellow legs. 
( e ) Columbidae or pigeons, including doves and wild pigeons. 
For the purposes of these regulations the following shall be considered migratory 
insectivorous birds: 
(f) Bobolinks, catbirds, chickadees, cuckoos, flickers, flycatchers, grosbeaks, 
humming birds, kinglets, martins, meadowlarks, nighthawks or bull bats, nuthatches, 
orioles, robins, shrikes, swallows, swifts, tanagers, titmice, thrushes, vireos, warblers, 
waxwings, whippoorwills, woodpeckers, and wrens, and all other perching birds 
which feed entirely or chiefly on insects. 
Regulation 2. Closed Season at Night. 
A daily closed season on all migratory game and insectivorous birds shall extend 
from sunset to sunrise. 
Regulation 3. Closed Season on Insectivorous Birds. 
A closed season on migratory insectivorous birds shall continue to December 
31, 1913, and each year thereafter shall begin January 1 and continue to December 31, 
both dates inclusive, provided that nothing in this or any other of these regulations 
shall be construed to prevent the issue ot permits for collecting birds for scientific 
purposes in accordance with the laws and regulations in force in the respective 
States and Territories and the District of Columbia: and provided further, that the 
closed season on reedbirds nr ricebirds in Maryland, the District of Columbia, Vir¬ 
ginia, and South Carolina shall begin November 1 and end August 31 next following, 
both dates inclusive. 
Regulation 4 . Five-Year Closed Seasons on Certain Game Birds. 
A closed season shall continue until September 1, 1918, on the following migra¬ 
tory game birds: Band-tailed pigeons, little brown, sandhill, and whooping cranes, 
swans, curlew, and all shore birds except the black-breasted and golden plover, 
Wilson or jack snipe, woodcock, and the greater and lesser yellowlegs. 
A closed season shall also continue until September 1, 1918, on wood ducks in 
Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New 
York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, 
Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Kansas, California, Oregon, and Washington; on rails 
in California and Vermont; and on woodcock in Illinois and Missouri. 
Regulation 5. Closed Season on Certain Navigable Rivers. 
A closed season shall continue between January 1 and December 31, both dates 
inclusive, of each year, on all migratory birds passing over or at rest on any of the 
waters of the main streams of the following navigable rivers, to wit: The Mississippi 
River between Minneapolis, Minn., and Memphis, Tenn.; and the Missouri River 
between Bismarck, N. Dak., and Nebraska City, Nebr.; and on the killing or cap¬ 
ture of any of such birds on or over the shores of any of said rivers, or at any point 
within the limits aforesaid, from any boat, raft, or other device, floating or other¬ 
wise, in or on any such waters. 
Regulation 6. Zones. 
The following zones for the protection of migratory game and insectivorous birds 
are hereby established: 
Zone No. t, the breeding zone, comprising States lying wholly or in part north 
of latitude 40° and the Ohio River and including Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, 
Massachusetts, Rhode Island. Connecticut. New York, New Jersev, Pennsylvania, 
Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South 
Dakota, Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Oregon and Washington — 
25 States. 
Zone No. ’, the wintering zone, comprising States lying wholly or in part south 
of latitude 40° and the Ohio River and including Delaware, Maryland, the District 
of Columbia, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, 
Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas, 
Oklahoma, Kansas, New Mexico', Arizona, California, Nevada, and Utah—23 States 
and the District of Columbia. 
Regulation 7. Construction. 
For the purposes of regulations 8 and 9, each period of time therein prescribed 
as a closed season shall be construed to include the first day and to exclude the 
last day thereof. 
Regulation 8. Closed Seasons in Zone No. 1. 
Closed seasons in Zone No. 1 shall be as follows: 
Waterfowl .—The closed season on waterfowl shall be between December 16 and 
September 1 next following, except as follows: 
Exceptions: In Massachusetts the closed season shall be between January 1 
and September 15. 
In New York, except Long Island, the closed season shall be between De¬ 
cember 16 and September 16. 
On Long Island and in Oregon and Washington the closed season shall be 
between January 16 and October 1. 
In New Jersey the closed season shall be between February 1 and Novem¬ 
ber 1; and 
In Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin the closed season 
shall be between December 1 and September 7. 
Rails .—The closed season on rails, coots, and gallinules shall be between Decem¬ 
ber 1 and September 1 next following, except as follows: 
Exceptions: In Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island the 
closed season shall be between December 1 and August 15. 
In Connecticut, Michigan, and New York, and on Long Island the closed 
season shall be between December 1 and September 16. 
In Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin the closed sea¬ 
son shall be between December 1 and September 7; and 
In Oregon and Washington the closed season shall be between January 16 
and October 1. 
Woodcock .—The closed season on woodcock shall be between December 1 and 
October 1 next following, except as follows: 
Exceptions: In Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Jersey the closed 
season shall be between December 1 and October 10. 
In Rhode Island the closed season shall be between December 1 and No¬ 
vember 1; and 
In Pennsylvania and on Long Island the closed season shall be between 
December 1 and October 15. 
Shore birds .—The closed season on black-breasted and golden plover, jacksnipe 
or Wilson snipe, and greater and lesser yellowlegs shall be between December 16 
and September 1 next following, except as follows: 
Exceptions: In Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and 
on Long Island the closed season shall be between December 1 and August 15. 
In New York, except Long Island, the closed season shall be between De¬ 
cember 1 and September 16. 
In Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin the closed 
season shall be between December 1 and September 7; and 
In Oregon and Washington the closed season shall be between December 16 
and October 1. 
Regulation 9. Closed Seasons in Zone No. 2. 
Closed seasons in Zone No. 2 shall be as follows: 
Waterfowl .—The closed season on waterfowl shall be between January 16 and 
October 1 next following, except as follows: 
Exceptions: In Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, Alabama, 
Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas, the closed season shall be between February 
1 and November 1. 
In the District of Columbia, Kansas, New Mexico', and West Virginia the 
closed season shall be between December 16 and September 1. 
In Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina the closed season shall be between 
February 16 and November 20. 
In Missouri and Nevada the closed season shall be between January 1 and 
September 15; and. 
In x\rizona and California the closed season shall be between February 1 and 
October 15. 
Rails .— lhe closed season on rails, coots, and gallinules shall be between Decem¬ 
ber 1 and September 1 next following, except as follows: 
Exceptions: In Tennessee and Utah the closed season shall be between 
December 1 and October 1. 
In Missouri the closed season shall be between January 1 and September 15. 
In Louisiana the closed season shall be between February 1 and November 1; 
and 
In Arizona and California the closed season on coots shall be between Feb¬ 
ruary 1 and October 15. 
Woodcock .—The closed season on woodcock shall be between January 1 and 
November 1, except as follows: 
Exceptions: In Delaware and Louisiana the closed season shall be between 
January 1 and November 15. 
In West Virginia the closed season shall be between December 1 and Octo¬ 
ber 1; and 
In Georgia the closed season shall be between January 1 and December 1. 
Shore birds .—The closed season on black-breasted and golden plover, jacksnipe 
or Wilson snipe, and greater and lesser yellowlegs shall be between December 16 and 
September 1, next following, except as follows: 
Exceptions: In Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina the closed season shall 
be between February 1 and November 20. 
In Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas the closed season shall be 
between February 1 and November 1. 
In Tennessee the closed season shall be between December 16 and October 1. 
In Arizona and California the closed season shall be between February 1 and 
October 15: and 
In Utah the closed season on snipe shall be between December 16 and Oc¬ 
tober 1, and on plover and yellowlegs shall be until September 1, 1918. 
Regulation 10. Hearings. 
Persons recommending changes in the regulations or desiring to submit evi¬ 
dence in person or by attorney as to the necessity’ for such changes should make 
application to the Secretary of Agriculture. Whenever possible, hearings will be 
arranged at central points, and due notice thereof given by publication or otherwise 
as may be deemed appropriate. Persons recommending changes should be prepared 
to show the necessity for such action and to submit evidence other than that based 
on reasons of personal convenience or a desire to kill game during a longer open 
season. 
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of 
the United States to be affixed. 
Done at the city of Washington, this first day of October in the 
year of our Lord one thousand nine hundred and thirteen and 
[Seal] of the Independence of the United States the one hundred 
and thirty eighth. 
By the President: 
W. J. Bryan, 
Secretary of State. 
Woodrow Wilson. 
