. Birds in their relations to man; a manual of economic ornithology for the United States and Canada . o its peculiar habits, that royal bird still inhabits itsnative heath. In spite of the fact that the decrease was ap-prehended, it was more than fifty years before the mentalinertia of the people was overcome sufficiently for them totake active measures to stay it. Three game-birds had sufferedextinction and a fourth was on the brink when the first stepwas taken. The first game laws enacted related to time and methodof capture. Spring killing and trapping were the earliestprohibitions. Only a
. Birds in their relations to man; a manual of economic ornithology for the United States and Canada . o its peculiar habits, that royal bird still inhabits itsnative heath. In spite of the fact that the decrease was ap-prehended, it was more than fifty years before the mentalinertia of the people was overcome sufficiently for them totake active measures to stay it. Three game-birds had sufferedextinction and a fourth was on the brink when the first stepwas taken. The first game laws enacted related to time and methodof capture. Spring killing and trapping were the earliestprohibitions. Only a part of the permanent resident birdswere given even this protection. As time went on the num-ber of protected birds and the period of their protectionwere gradually increased; but it was something like fortyyears after the initial law before the game-birds found in theState were given a closed season. In spite of statutes regu-lating seasons and methods, it at length became apparent thatthe decrease was not wholly checked, and further measureswere taken. It was made an offence to send dead grouse. 281 282 BIRDS IN THEIR RELATIONS TO MAN. and woodcock and plover out of the State. Public opinionfavorable to the protection of game has been steadily State game and fish commission, having game interests incharge, superintends the propagation and distribution of gameand prosecutes offenders. This, in a nut-shell, is a historyof game-bird relations in New Hampshire. In other States the story runs much the same. A pro-nounced falling off in the number of game-birds is acknowl-edged everywhere. Some States have been more prompt withmeasures to prevent it, some more tardy. New York passeda law protecting heath-hens in 1791, but so late as 1874 onlytwenty-four States and territories had game laws. At presentevery State offers some protection. Nineteen prohibit markethunting or the sale of game at all times ; forty prohibit export;fifteen require that non-residents shall procure
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