The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-08-25
GAME BETTER PROTECTED.
Progress in Establishment of Game Preserves-Acciden Increasing.

Washington Dispatch to N. I. Evening
 Post
 With each succeeding year all game and game birds in the United States are better protected and more vigorously guarded against pot hunters and wanton slaughter CTS New game protective legislation last year included several important measures. The question of federal protection of mi gratory game birds again attracted at tention, and was the subject of much dis cusson. More than the average num- Der of cases based on game laws were de- Cided by courts of last resort In the es- tablishment of game preserves under pri- vate state and federal auspices notable progress has been made. The destruction of quail by ,.Ie severity of the two pte- ceding winters caused large shipments or these birds to De made from Alabama and the southwest to restock some ot the
 eastern states. English pheasant eggs and
 gray cartridges were imported rom Eu- rope in unusually large numbers.
 pr T. S. Palmer of the Biological Sur
 vey, within whose province it falls to keep abreast of game legislation and game
 protection in all of the states, reports that
 game legislation last year was remarkaDle
 for the unusual number of bills under
 consideration by Congress and the small
 number of changes in state laws. The federal laws enacted comprised acts au-
 thorZing the secretary of the interior to lease 35O0 acres in South Dakota as Duf-
 falo preserve, prohibiting trapping or
 trespasslng on bird refuges, establishing
 a game refuge on the Grand Canyon Ma
 tional Forest in Arizona, and prohibiting
 hunting in the greater part of the District
 of Columbia
 The number of persons killed each year
 in hunting accidents Is apparently increas- ing, and the loss of life from this cause
 in 1906 was appalling. An effort was made by Dr. Palmer to collect reports Of such fatal accidents for the purpose of ascer- taining not only the number and the cause but also the possibility of devsing a method of reducing the number Of sim liar accidents In the future. The reports showed that more than a hundred persons lost their lives during the year, and or these at least eight were women and
 dozen or more children under fifteen years of age. These accidents occurred Tn twentv-fve states and the District of Col umbia but were most frequent in Mich igan and Wisconsin. Contrary to expec- | tation comparatively few were caused by persons being mistaken for deer or other big game. Several were caused by 22-call- bre rifles and a number of others. by ordi- nary shotguns.
 Many of the accidents were due sim ply to gross carelessness in the use of firearms, such as pulling gun out of the boat by the muzzle, or looking down the | barrel of loaded weapon others to hand ling of firearms by boys who had not been fought, or failed to observe, the most elementary precautions. In few instances, these accidents were attrib- utable directly to violation of the game | laws.
 It is worthy of note that in states which prohibit the killing of does, or of deer. with horns less than three Inches in | length accidents were comparatively few. while in Michigan and Wisconsin. where