GAME LAWS, legislative enactments adopted by nations and states to prohibit or regulate the killing of wild animals, birds and fishes. In Great Britain the game laws are a relic of the forest laws, which in the time of the Norman kings were so oppressive; it being under the Conqueror as great a crime to kill one of the king's deer as to kill one of his subjects. A certain rank and standing, or the possession of a certain amount of property, were for a long time qualifications indispensably nec essary to confer upon any one the right of pursuing and killing game. By the Game Act of William IV the game laws were greatly modified, the necessity for any qualification except the possession of a game certificate being then abolished and the right being given to any one to kill game on his own land, or on that of another with his permission. Every un certificated person selling game is also required to take a yearly license. The animals designated as game by this act are hares, pheasants, par tridges, grouse, heath-game or moor-game, black-game and bustards. These animals (with the exception of hares) are not allowed to be killed at all times, there being a certain season of the year the close season — during which all people are prohibited from killing game. By an act of 1880 every occupier of land has a right, as inseparable from and incident to the occupation of the land, to kill and take ground game (hares and rabbits) thereon, concurrently with any other duly authorized person, all agreements in contravention of this right being declared void. Game laws of greater or less strictness are in force in many other countries. In Canada the chief restrictions are in regard to killing wild animals during the breeding season.
Game Laws in the United In the United States wild game whether of forest, field or stream is perhaps better protected than in any other country in the world. Although there are certain general national laws, all States have passed game laws of their own and many States have organized societies for the protection and preservation of game. There are eight national organizations, the most im portant being the League of American Sports men. The others are the American Ornitho logical Union; the National Sportsmen's Asso ciation; the National Bird, Game and Fish Pro tective Association ; Bird Protective. Society
of America; Boone and Crockett Club; Inter national Forest, Fish and Game Association and North American Fish and Game Protective Society. Nearly every State in the Union has now a Game and Fish Commission and numer ous game wardens.
The national game law, known as the Lacey Law, passed by Congress in 1900, gave to the Department of Agriculture certain powers, by which among other provisions no importation of wild animals, birds or fishes could be made without a permit from Secretary of Agricul ture.
Many important additions and amendments to the Federal laws have been passed during the last 10 years, all tending to protect game and game birds in their natural state without interfering with the importation of birds, birds' eggs or animals for breeding purposes. Dur ing 1910 there was an increase in these im portations. Foreign mammals were imported to the number of 7,862, less than 600 of which could be classified as game animals, while the number of game birds imported was 49,989. Among the importation of the year were the valuable specimens obtained for the National Zoological Park at Washington through the Roosevelt expedition and containing, among other mammals, several African antelopes and a lophiomys, a peculiar maned rodent rarely seen in zoological collections. Another ship ment worthy of special mention was the six musk oxen brought from the Aictic regions for the New York Zoological Park by Paul J. Rainey, this being the largest number ever brought to the United States.
European Game Birds for American Coy great deal of interest has been mani fested in the experimental stocking of American covers with European game birds. The Hun garian partridge was the favorite prior to 1910, but since that time there has been a marked tendency to return to the pheasant. Thousands of pairs of partridges and English ringneck pheasants have been imported and distributed in Indiana, New Jersey, California, Colorado, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Iowa, Vermont, the Da kotas and other States. Pheasant eggs have been imported for hatching and later liberation. The experiments with other game birds has been so disappointing that practically nothing was done along these lines.