El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-09-27
Federal Laws Protect Birds
Federal Statute VIII Not Conflict
With State Laws but VIII Assure
NJ igratOry Birds Protection.
-By Frederic J. HasKiE

? ASHINGTON, D. c., Sept. 2

1
be approved by the president and go
| into effect about Oct 1, at the begin
ming of the annual hunting season. The
law authorizing these regulations was
\ passed by the last congress. 1t was in
/ cluded in the appropriation bill for the
| department of agriculture, one of the
last measures signed by president Taft
upon the morning of March 4 In some
! states this new law will not materially
affect the hunting privileges because
| it will not make any greater restrlc-
| tions than are imposed by the state
| laws already in existence In others,
! the change will be more keenly felt
/ The five years closed season for GER
tain game girds, the prohibition OF
and the long closed season for birds
along certain navigable rivers are the
I most important features of the new
regulations
Federal Protection for Birds.
The new law authorized the depart
ment of agriculture to formulate regu-
lations covering the points needed for
the federal protection of migratory
birds. These regulations were to fix
and prescribe the closed seasons with
due regard to temperature, breeding
habits and the times and lines of MI
grafton of the different classes OF DlrdS-
A committee of experts upon the sub
jects involved was appointed to pre-
pare these regulations with the pro-
vision InaL they SnOulO De printed anu
made public for three months before
their adoption. During this period they
were to be examined and pubic near
ings given upon them when desired
The knowledge possessed by the com
mittee upon the habits of birds enabled
them to fix suitable districts, in differ
ent parts of the country, in which II
shall be unlawful to shoot, kill or cap
ture migratory birds, and at the same
time to give the hunter all the sport
possible without threatening the total
extinction of the birds 1t is under
stood that where the states nave SUIT
able laws for the protection Of the mi
gratory birds nothing in the new regu-
lations shall be permitted to conflict
with them.
No Interference With State Laws.
The provision that the new law
should not interfere with the bird laws
already existing IN the states required
much work from the committee for
mulating the regulations. over 200
laws regarding bird shooting are in
existence in the 48 states. In order to
harmonic them, a number of eXcep-
ticns have been included with the regu-
latiOns, which il is believed, will make
the new law a harmonious scheme for
conserving the bird life uniformly
throughout the country.
The country is divided into two
zones. Zone 1 is to be known as the
breeding zone. 1t includes p states
lying chiefly north of the Ohio river ana
latitude 40 degrees The closed season
for this zone shall be from Dec 16 TO
Sept. / for water fowls and rails. with
exceptions in nine states, where the
dates vary slightly For WoodcOck, the
closed season extends to Oct 1, with
exceptions in 10 states. The closed sea
son for shore birds excepting for those
coming under the regulation of the
five years closed season. extends from
Dec. 16 to Sept. 1, with slight modifica-
ton of these dates in 10 states.
Seasons Differ in Southwest.
Zone is to be known as the winter
ing zone. It includes all the states
south of the breeding zone. In this, the
closed season for water fowl extends
Maryland, Virginia and the Carolinas,
where. it is from February to Novem-
Der, and in Kansas, Oklahoma, New
Mexico and Arizona, where it comes
between Dec. 16 and Sept. I. The closed
season for rails, and also for coots and
gallinules comes between Dec l and
Sept. II, with slight differences in Ten
nessee, Louisiana and Arizona For
woodcock, the closed season extends
from Jan. 1 to November l, excepting
in Louisiana and Georgia. The closed
season for shore birds. including only
black breasted and golden plover, jack
snipe or Wilson snipe and yellow legs,
the rest coming under the five years
regulation, is from Dec. 16 to Sept. l,
with the exceptions in Alabama, Louisi-
ana, Tennessee, Arizona and Utah.
The new law prohibits the shooting
of all migratory game birds between
sunset and sunrise This restriction has
in some of the western states, but the
objection is not sustained because this
protection already exists in a number
of states, including New York, Ohio, In
diana, Illinois, Iowa. Arkansas and
Missouri. At least half of the hunters
in the country have been subject to this
restriction for years by the laws OF
their states and most of them endorse
1t as proper measure. Louisiana has
even gone a step farther. The shoot
ing of birds after the noon hour is
prohibited there, thus giving them an
additional advantage
InsectiverOus Birds Protected.
The closed season for inSectiyerous
birds now extends throughout the year
excepting for reed birds and rice birds
IN Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, the
District of Columbia and South Caro-
lima In these states they may still be
shot between Aug. 81 and Nov. I. Many
bird lovers object even to this small
kllllng, for these 1nsecuverous birds
may almost be classed as song birds.
The reed birds are really the northern
ooDollnks which have been greatly de-
creased by the greed of the hunters. It
has been claimed that the rice birds
OF the south interfered with the crops,
out scientific examination proves that
they feed largely upon insects which
damage the grain The substitution of
the much hated English sparrow for
tne reed bird in many restaurants is
now admitted
Many claim that the difference is not
easily detected. At present no consid-
Grafton is being given to sparrow con-
servation and. in the minds of most
people they can be spared with less
loss to the country than the bobO-
INKS, catbirds. chickadees, cuckoos,
grosbeaks. humming birds. martins,
meadow larks, night hawks, orioles,
robins, shrikes. swallows, tanaSerS, tit
mice. thrushes, warblers, whippoor-
wills. woodpeckcrs, wrens. and all other
perchlng birds which feed entirely up
on insects
Five Years Protection for Some.
A five year closed season has been
authorized, extending until September
or 1918, covering band tailed pigeons,
swans, rlews and three varieties Of
cranes The enormous decrease in these
Dlrds threatens their total extinction
so that a long closed season is cOnsid
cred absolutely essential to the con-
tlnuation of the species A closed sea-
son shall extend also from Jan. to
NOV. /, for all migratory birds passing
over or at rest upon any of the fol-
lowing navigable rivers between GER
tam designated points. These are the
mississippi river from New Orleans to
minneapolis. the Ohio river between its
mouth and Pittsburg. and the Missouri
river between its mouth and Bismarck,
n. D.
=. Tomorrow: Contests in Egg Produc-