DIAGRAM SHOWING CLOSE SEASONS FOR WILD DUCKS IN 1901. tory game bird is in danger of extinction and its killing and sale have been prohibited in two or more States lying south of the Province, one being New York, Pennsylania, or Michigan, the Lieutenant-Governorin-Council may extend the same protection to Ontario for the same period during which the bird is protected in such States (see p. 144). The need of greater uniformity, particularly in seasons, has long been recognized, and the success which has attended the efforts in this direction during the present year gives new importance to the suggestions made a few years ago in an outline of cooperative game legislation known as the Hallock Code. A STEP TOWARD UNIFORMITY-THE HALLOCK CODE. In an address before the National Game, Bird, and Fish Protective Association1 in 1897 Mr. Charles Hallock advocated a code of cooperative legislation, in accordance with which the United States was to be divided into three concessions," in each of which the laws were to be as uniform as possible, the open seasons identical, and protection was to be accorded to insectivorous birds, but withheld from a few species considered injurious. The feature of special interest in this connection is the simple manner in which the States were grouped together. The three concessions were named Northern, Southern, and Pacific, and as originally proposed were limited as follows: All the region west of the crest of the Rocky Mountains was included in the Pacific, while all that east of this range was divided at latitude 36° 30′ into a Northern and a Southern concession. This division, however, had the disadvantage of cutting through Colorado and New Mexico, thus giving each a double set of laws. Moreover, the Pacific concession extended from Puget Sound to the Mexican boundary and embraced wide extremes of climate. The scheme has therefore been slightly modified, for present purposes, by extending the Northern concession over the whole of Colorado and allowing the Southern to include not only all of New Mexico, but also Arizona (see Pl. III). This places all the region south of latitude 36° 30′ (except part of southern California) in one division. All the States east of the Rocky Mountains with these exceptions belong to the Northern or Southern concessions, while California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Washington form the Pacific. For a simple division this seems to meet all requirements fairly well, and while it may not be practicable to secure identical laws in all the States in each group, a strong effort should at least be made to have the close seasons correspond as nearly as possible. 1 Western Field and Stream, Vol. I, pp. 232-234, 1897. 2 Called 'concession' because based on compromise and reciprocity. RESTRICTIONS AS TO TIME OF KILLING GAME. Restrictions as to time of killing game may be grouped under two general heads: Close seasons proper or the part of the year in which game is protected, and close terms in which protection extends over several years. In the latter case the species so protected are to all intents and purposes temporarily removed from the game list. CLOSE SEASONS. No question in game protection is more important than that of the seasons during which birds and animals shall be protected, yet, strange to say, there is none in which State game laws show greater diversity and none in which they are more subject to change. Lack of uniformity often defeats the purpose of provisions intended to allow game an opportunity to recuperate and introduces needless confusion. Moreover, it makes compliance with the provisions of the Federal law difficult for shippers and game dealers, who must consider the open seasons in both the State in which their game is killed and that to which it is shipped. Further confusion results from diversity in defining the seasons. Some laws give the open seasons, others the closed, and in these statements may be found all possible varieties of inclusion and exclusion of the dates named. An attempt is here made to bring together in one table all the close seasons for game prescribed by the various States and by the Provinces of Canada. For the sake of simplicity, a uniform method is used both in the arrangement of species and statement of seasons. In each case big game is first considered, then follow squirrels and rabbits; then upland game birds, such as quail, grouse, pheasants, turkeys, and doves; then shore birds; and finally water fowl, such as ducks, geese, and swans. In the statement of seasons only close seasons have been given, and in stating these the plan of the Vermont law, to include the first date but not the last, has been followed consistently. The Vermont scheme has the advantage of showing readily both the open and close seasons, since either may be obtained by reading the other backward. Thus, when the close season is stated as December 1 to October 1, the open season begins October 1 and ends December 1 (in each case the last date being excluded). In some States certain days of the week constitute additional close seasons throughout the term in which killing is permitted. Sundays constitute a close season for all game in Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Allegany |