12 
REPORT OF BOARD OF FISH AND GAME COMMISSIONERS. 
made by our regular deputies—the remainder by men of the United 
States Forestry Service and others interested in this work who have 
been empowered by us with authority to make arrests for violations of 
these laws. Especially good service has been rendered by forest rangers 
acting under service order No. 22, which is as follows: 
Service Order No. 22. 
Washington, D. C., September 25, 1908. 
OBSERVANCE OF STATE LAWS BY FOREST OFFICERS. 
It lias recently been brought to the attention of this Service that forest 
officers themselves have in rare instances failed to observe the State game 
laws. Strict observance, both by act and example, of all State laws, whether 
for the protection of game or for other purpose, is one of the first duties 
of every forest officer. Under no circumstances should one forest officer 
shield or condone the act of another who violates the game laws. To do 
so differs little from actual violation of the law itself. This Service will 
not tolerate violation of the State game laws by any of its members, or 
failure to cooperate fully with State game officials. 
Gifford Pinchot, Forester. 
We desire at this time to express our appreciation for the valuable 
assistance rendered by that department. 
It will be observed that in by far the larger number of cases the 
defendants pleaded guilty, which may be taken as an indication of the 
thoroughness with which the evidence had been collected. But in addi¬ 
tion to the cases which were actually brought into court, hundreds of 
complaints have been examined, some of which we found had not been 
made in good faith; others in which sufficient evidence was not obtain¬ 
able to justify a prosecution. 
Many seizures of fish and game that had been shipped (or offered for 
shipment) in violation of the statutes, or had been killed contrary to 
law, were made. In many of these cases, convictions followed the seiz¬ 
ure. In others, owing to use of fictitious names, we were unable to 
locate the shipper, but some punishment was effected by confiscation of 
the game or fish, which meant a loss of time, labor, and the goods. 
At the thirty-eighth legislative session the right was given to the Fish 
and Game Commissioners and assistants to seize and take possession 
of any and all game or fish, or any part thereof, which had been taken, 
killed, or had in possession or under control, or sold, or offered for sale 
or shipped, or offered for shipment, contrary to any of the laws of this 
State. It provided further that all such game or fish, or any part 
thereof, which might be so seized or taken possession of by the Fish and 
Game Commissioners, or their assistants, shall be donated by them to 
some charitable or public institution. Practically all institutions of that 
character in and around San Francisco Rnd the other larger cities of 
the State have been beneficiaries under this law, and from many of 
them we have received grateful letters of acknowledgment. 
