The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1913-11-14
Letter From KaIbfus.
Oct. 18th, 1918.


Dear Sir:
1 write this open letter to-day to
call public attention to the provision
of law in this State relative to the
killing of birds other than game
birds and to caution those who may
feel disposed to kill hawks or owls
Unfortunately. Section 10 of the
Act of May 1st, 1909, entitled IAN
Act to provide for the protection and
preservation of game, game quad
rupeds and game birds and song
and insectivorous and other wild
birds as amended by the act of
April 2, 1918, provides THAT it,
shall be unlawful for any person
within this Commonwealth, except
as provided for in this act, to at any
time shoot at, or wound, or take,
or kill any wild bird other than a
game-bird, or to have such bird or
part thereof in possession" further
along in the section providing that
certain birds-"the blue jay, the
English sparrow, the European
starting, the kingfisher, the buzzard,
sharp-shinned hawk, Coopers hawk,
goshawk, duck hawk, pigeon hawk,
the great-horned owl, the barred
owl, and the crow'-because of
u6SITuCIlN0 ulSpOSlIlOu, are uOJ
protected by this act and may be
unprotected birds are found the
goshawk and the sharp-shinned
hawk, and the great-horned owl.
Upon the 25th day of July, 1913,
an Act was signed by Governor
Tener, creating reward or boun-
ty, for the destruction Of certain
noXious animals and birds" the
birds named in this bounty act be-
ing the great-horned owl, the gos-
hawk and the sharp-shinned hawk,
and the reward as fixed by this Act
for the killing of any one of those
birds Is fifty cents (50c). Each
claim for a bounty must be sworn
to, and each affidavit will cost the
claimant twenty-five cents (25c).
There is, therefore, no great danger
that much time will be spent in
hunting these named hawks for the
reward of twenty-five cents (25c)
but there is a grave danger that
other hawks and owls may be killed
in the hope of securing the bounty
placed upon but two hawks and one
owl in this State. Warren in his
"Birds of Pennsylvania" says we
have twelve (12) species of hawks
and ten (10) species of owls in this
Commonwealth; eight (S) species
of hawks and eight (S) species oi
owls are protected in this State, and
the penalty for killing any one Of
these protected birds is ten dollars
$4,000. I also call attention to the
fact that the bounty law among 9th
er things provides that leach ant
every person who shall wilfully o.
fraudulently collect or attempt tt
collect any reward or bounty pro
vided for by this act, to which he Of
they are not legally entitled unde
the provisions of this act, or shall
aid or abet or assist in any capacity
official or otherwise, in an attemp
to defraud the State, through tn
collection or payment of any rewar'
or bounty provided for by this act
shall be guilty of misdemeanor
and upon conviction thereof shall, il
addition to the penalty that may b
imposed for perjury where a falls
affidavit is made, be sentenced t
pay to the Commonwealth of Penn
sylvania a fine of not less than on
hundred dollars or more than fiv
hundred dollars, or suffer an i'm
prisonment in the common Jail O
the county for period of one day i
Jail for each dollar of fine imposed,
so that the killing of either hawk
or owls for the purpose of securin
the bounty placed by law upon tw
species of hawks and one species c
owl is dangerous proceeding tha
not only renders the claimant fo
the reward liable to the penalty fo
killing a protected hawk or owl, bu
also makes the said claimant an
the justice or person before whol
the affidavit is made, liable to
penalty of 500 where the bounty
paid upon any hawk other than tn
goshawk and sharp-shinned haw,
or upon any owl other than til
great-horned owl. This act ais
provides that each person who aiC
or abets any claimant to secure tn
bounty, illegally or fraudulent.
shall be liable to a penalty of sic
and to punishment for misdemeal
or, so that the justice or other pc
son authorized to take affidavits
very liable to get into seriol
trouble where he certifies falsely
the species of hawk killed.
Steps will be taken to prevel
fraud in this direction, and to pul
ish those who may either kill pr
tected birds for the purpose or WI
may aid or assist in the collection
fraudulent bounties.
Respectfully yours,
TnOTDII ATDETTC