. . ts benefits will be plain to all. Within the past twenty years most of the Provinces ofCanada and many of the States of the Union have adoptedregulations forbidding spring shooting. Already this has re-sulted in an increase in the number of birds breeding in manyof these States and Provinces, and, as a result, the fall andspring flights along the Atlantic coast are beginning to increase, to which Massachusetts has as yet contributedvery little, is now used by the advocates of spring shootingas an argument for permit
. . ts benefits will be plain to all. Within the past twenty years most of the Provinces ofCanada and many of the States of the Union have adoptedregulations forbidding spring shooting. Already this has re-sulted in an increase in the number of birds breeding in manyof these States and Provinces, and, as a result, the fall andspring flights along the Atlantic coast are beginning to increase, to which Massachusetts has as yet contributedvery little, is now used by the advocates of spring shootingas an argument for permitting it here. They say virtually,our neighbors have withheld their hands; they have pro-tected and increased the birds, — so much the better for us now have an open season in winter and spring, kill allwe can, and thus take advantage of the increase resulting fromthe forbearance of our neighbors who are foolish enough to pro-tect the birds for our benefit. Comment on such reasoningis unnecessary. The advocates of spring shooting also point to the fact. (1) o 2 5 -D Q CONSERVATION OF GAME BIRDS. 525 that many more wild-fowl are killed in winter in the southernStates than are killed here. Their principal argument is thatwe should permit spring shooting here because it still is allowedin the south. Even from a selfish standpoint this is the weakestpossible argument for spring shooting. By killing wild-fowlin the fall we certainly can prevent them from falling into thehands of the southerners; but those which come back to usin spring have escaped both northern and southern gunners,if, indeed, they have been south at all. Why should we killthem then, when they are going to their breeding grounds,and when every mated pair killed cuts off the return to us inthe coming autumn of perhaps six to a dozen young.^ Self-interest alone should prohibit spring shooting. If the southern people were permitted by law to rob andkill those of our citizens who visit them in winter should wec
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