GAME LAWS, legislative enactments
adopted by nations and states to prohibit or
regulate the killing of wild animals, birds and
fishes. In Great Britain the game laws are a
relic of the forest laws, which in the time of
the Norman kings were so oppressive; it being
under the Conqueror as great a crime to kill
one of the king's deer as to kill one of his
subjects. A certain rank and standing, or the
possession of a certain amount of property, were
for a long time qualifications indispensably
necessary to confer upon any one the right of
pursuing and killing game. By the Game Act
of William IV the game laws were greatly
modified, the necessity for any qualification
except the possession of a game certificate being
then abolished and the right being given to
any one to kill game on his own land, or on
that of another with his permission. Every
uncertificated person selling game is also required
to take a yearly license. The animals designated
as game by this act are hares, pheasants, partridges, grouse, heath-game or moor-game, black-game and bustards. These animals (with the exception of hares) are not allowed to be killed at all times, there being a certain season of the year — the close season — during which all people are prohibited from killing game. By an act of 1880 every occupier of land has a right, as inseparable from and incident to the occupation of the land, to kill and take ground game (hares and rabbits) thereon, concurrently with any other duly authorized person, all agreements in contravention of this right being declared void. Game laws of greater or less strictness are in force in many other countries. In Canada the chief restrictions are in regard to killing wild animals during the breeding season.
Game Laws in the United States.— In the
United States wild game whether of forest, field or stream is perhaps better protected than in any other country in the world. Although there are certain general national laws, all States have passed game laws of their own and many States have organized societies for the protection and preservation of game. There are eight national organizations, the most important being the League of American Sportsmen. The others are the American Ornithological Union; the National Sportsmen's Association; the National Bird, Game and Fish Protective Association; Bird Protective Society of America; Boone and Crockett Club; International Forest, Fish and Game Association and North American Fish and Game Protective Society. Nearly every State in the Union has now a Game and Fish Commission and numerous game wardens.
The national game law, known as the Lacey
Law, passed by Congress in 1900, gave to the
Department of Agriculture certain powers, by
which among other provisions no importation
of wild animals, birds or fishes could be made
without a permit from Secretary of
Agriculture.
Many important additions and amendments
to the Federal laws have been passed during
the last 10 years, all tending to protect game
and game birds in their natural state without
interfering with the importation of birds, birds'
eggs or animals for breeding purposes. During 1910 there was an increase in these importations. Foreign mammals were imported to the number of 7,862, less than 600 of which could be classified as game animals, while the number of game birds imported was 49,989. Among the importation of the year were the valuable specimens obtained for the National Zoological Park at Washington through the
Roosevelt expedition and containing, among
other mammals, several African antelopes and
a lophiomys, a peculiar maned rodent rarely
seen in zoological collections. Another shipment
worthy of special mention was the six
musk oxen brought from the Arctic regions
for the New York Zoological Park by Paul J. Rainey, this being the largest number ever brought to the United States.