The movement toward securing uniform laws for the protection of song, insectivorous and other non-game birds has also made sub stantial progress since 1900. The Shea plum age bill, prohibiting the sale of aigrettes and other plumage, took effect 1 July 1911. Laws protecting non-game birds have been very gen erally adopted in Canada.
Protectors, Seizures, Sportsmen's Asso ciations, Close and Open Seasons.— New York since 1902 raised the number of salaried protectors from 50 to 90 and New Jersey has given its wardens every power to make searches and seizures. The total number of authorized game protectors in the 42 States reporting in 1910 was 9,354. Of these 748 were salaried officials, 1,167 were paid per diem and 7,439 performed their services without remuneration.
Under the Lacey Act numerous seizures were made of game shipped from the West and Southwest and proceedings were instituted in a number of cases in State and Federal courts. In some of the cases in Iowa and South Da kota convictions were secured with penalties ranging from $150 to $200. The inspection of foreign birds at the port of New York was made more effective and special inspection serv ice was established in Hawaii and extended in scope so as to prevent the introduction of nox ious reptiles into the islands.
Even more important than the enactment of new game laws has been the work of game com missions and voluntary organizations interested in the practical protection of birds and game. In 1910 important changes were made in the game commissions of several States and five salaried game wardens were appointed in Alaska. Several sportsmen's game and fish protective associations were added to the large number already existing and the Audubon So ciety began a special campaign of bird protec tion in the South. Nearly all the States now have Audubon societies, which are formed primarily for the protection of birds other than game. The committee of the American Ornithologists' Union on the protection of birds extended its work along the coast and now maintains supervision of all the breeding colo vies of sea birds on the Atlantic coast from Eastport, Me., to Chesapeake Bay, as well as
at some points in Florida.
Practically all the State game laws passed by the various State legislatures prohibit the export of game, hunting or fishing for commer cial purposes and hunting big game with dogs. In a few States the netting of minnows for bait is also prohibited. The killing of song birds is forbidden in most of the States, but this law does not apply to the hawk, owl, crow, black bird and English sparrow. Hunting and fishing in the national Yellowstone Park is prohibited.
While the close and open season for hunting and fishing are well defined in all the States, there is no general statement that can cover the question, the seasons and conditions varying so widely. In Alabama, for instance, deer may be shot for two months only (November to January), in Indiana at no time, and in Illinois no deer can be shot until 15 June 1919. All State game laws are peculiarly adapted to local conditions.
New regulations en close seasons for mi gratory birds were made public 22 Aug. 1916 by the United States Department of Agricul ture, after its approval of recommendations by the Federal Advisory Committee on the Mi gratory Bird Law. Spring shooting has been everywhere refused.' It has been adopted as a fixed rule for the present that in no part of the country may there be shooting after the game has started for its breeding grounds in the North. The committee recommended a maxi mum shooting season of three and one-half months for any section of the country and tried to equalize opportunity as best it could in fixing that season. Among the valuable North American birds that the committee said were acandidates for extinction" were whooping crane, trumpeter swan, American flamingo, roseate spoonbill, scarlet ibis, long billed curlew, upland plover, Hudsonian god wit, red-breasted sandpiper, golden plover, dowitcher, willet, pectoral sandpiper, black capped petrel, American egret, snowy egret, wood duck, band-tailed pigeon, heath hen, sage grouse, white-tailed kite, prairie sharptail, pin nated grouse and woodcock. See AUDUBON SOCIETY ; FISHING ; HUNTING.