a ? S. B. A. — B. S. 9. Issued May 20, 1916. U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. BUREAU OF BIOLOGICAL SURVEY, Henkv W. Henshaw, Chief of Bureau. SERVICE AND REGULATORY ANNOUNCEMENTS. PROPOSED REGULATIONS FOR THE PROTECTION OF MIGRATORY BIRDS. Washington, D. C May IS, 1916. Pursuant to the provisions of the act of March 4, 1913, authorizing and directing the Department of Agriculture to adopt suitable regu- lations prescribing and fixing closed seasons for migratory birds (37 Stat.. 847). regulations, copy of which is hereto annexed, have been prepared, are hereby made public, and are hereby proposed for adoption, after allowing a period of three months in which the same may be examined and considered. The regulations, as finally adopted, will becomeje ffective on o r after -August 16, 1916, whenever approved H the Pre^fti^^ ^" Public hearings on the proposed regulations will be held by the Bureau of Biolagicalr»Su* , vey of" this cjepapment whenever deemed necessary. Inquiries in reference thereto sjiould be addressed to the Secretary of. AgTicultuxe - _Jj£OEPOSITORY | D _ F _ HotJSTON) Secretary of Agriculture. REGULATIONS FOR THE PROTECTION OF MIGRATORY BIRDS. Pursuant to the provisions of the act of March -k 1913. authorizing and directing the Department of Agriculture to adopt suitable regulations prescribing and fixing closed seasons for migratory birds (37 Stat., 817), having due regard to zones of temperature, breeding habits, and times and lines of migratory flight, the Department of Agriculture has prepared and hereby makes public, for examination and consideration before final adoption, the following regulations: REGULATION 1.— DEFINITIONS. For the purposes of these regulations the following shall be con- sidered migratory game birds: (a) Anatida? or waterfowl, including brant, wild ducks, geese, and swans. 42353°— 16 2 BUREAU OF BIOLOGICAL SURVEY. b) Gruidae or cranes, including little brown, sandhill, and whoop- ing cranes. • c) Rallidae or rails, including coots, gallinules, and sora and other rails. (d) Limicolse or shore birds, including avocets, curleAv. dowitch- ers, godwits, knots, oyster catchers, phalaropes, plover, sandpipers, snipe, stilts, surf birds, turnstones. willet, woodcock, and yellowlegs. (< ) Columbida? or pigeons, including doves and wild pigeons. For the purposes of these regulations the following shall be con- sidered migratory insectivorous birds: (/) Bobolinks, catbird--, chickadees, cuckoos, flickers, flycatchers, grosbeaks, hummingbirds, kinglets, martins,, meadowlarks, night- hawks or bull bats, nuthatches, orioles, robins, shrikes, swallows, swifts, tanagers, titmice, thrushes, vireos. warblers, waxwings, whip- poorwills. woodpeckers, and wrens, and all other perching birds' which feed entirely or chiefly on insects. REGULATION 2.— CLOSED SEASON AT NIGHT. A daily closed season on all migratory game and insectivorous birds shall extend from sunset to sunrise. REGULATION 3.— CLOSED SEASON ON INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS. A closed season on migratory insectivorous birds shall continue throughout each year, except that the closed season on reedbirds or ricebirds in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware. Maryland, the District of Columbia, Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina shall commence November 1 and end August 31, next following, both dales inclusive: Provided, That nothing in this or any other of these regulations shall be construed to prevent the issue of permits for collecting birds for scientific purposes in accordance with the laws and regulations in force in the respective States and Territories and the District of Columbia. REGULATION 4.— CLOSED SEASONS ON CERTAIN GAME BIRDS. A closed season shall continue until September 1, 1918, on the fol- lowing migratory game birds : Band-tailed pigeons, little brown. sandhill, and whooping cranes, wood ducks, swans, curlew, willet. and all shore birds except the black-breasted and golden plover, Wilson snipe or jacksnipe, woodcock, and the greater and lesser yellow legs. A closed season shall also continue until September 1. 1918, on rails in California and Vermont and on woodcock in Illinois and Missouri. SERVICE AND REGULATORS ANNOUNCEMENTS. 3 REGULATION 5.— ZONES. The following zones for the protection of migratory game and insectivorous birds are hereby established. Zoru No, J. the breeding zone comprising the States of Maine. New Hampshire. Vermont. Massachusetts, Rhode Island. Connecti- cut, New York. New Jersey. Pennsylvania. Ohio, Indiana. Illinois, Kentucky. West Virginia. Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota. Iowa, North Dakota. South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Colorado, Wyoming. Montana, Idaho. Utah. Nevada, Oregon, and Washing- ton — 31 States. Zone Xo. 2, the wintering zone comprising the States of Delaware. Maryland, District of Columbia. Virginia. Xorth Carolina, South Carolina. Georgia. Florida. Alabama. Mississippi, Tennessee. Ar- kansas, Louisiana. Texas, Oklahoma. New Mexico, Arizona, and California — 17 States and the District of Columbia. REGULATION 6.— CONSTRUCTION. For the purposes of regulations 7 and 8 each period of time therein prescribed as a closed season shall be construed to include the first and last day thereof. REGULATION 7.— CLOSED SEASONS IN ZONE NO. 1. Waterfoivl. — The closed season on waterfowl, including coots and gallinules, shall be between December 21 and September 6 next fol- lowing, except as follows: Exceptions: In Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York (except Long Island). Ohio. Michigan, Indiana. Kentucky, and West Virginia the closed season shall be between January 1 and September 15; In Massachusetts, Rhode Island. Connecticut, Long Island. New Jersey. Pennsylvania. Washington, Oregon, Utah, and Nevada the closed season shall be between January 16 and September 30 ; and In Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska. Kansas, and Missouri the closed season shall be between March 11 and September 15 and between November 16 and February 9. Rails. — The closed season on sora and other rails, excluding coots and gallinules, shall be between December 1 and August 31 next following, except as follows: Exception : In Vermont the closed season shall continue until the open season in 1918. Shore birds. — The closed season on black-breasted and golden plover and greater and lesser yellowlegs shall be between December 1 and August 15 next following, except as follows: Exception: In Utah the closed season shall continue until the open season in 1918. UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA liiiiiiL 3 1262 09218 5437 4 BUREAU OF BIOLOGICAL SURVEY. Jacksnipe. — The closed season on jacksnipe or Wilson snipe shall be between December 16 and Sepetmber 15 next following. Woodcock. — The closed season on woodcock shall be between De- cember 1 and September 30 next following, except as follows: Exceptions: In Illinois and Missouri the dosed season shall continue until the open season in 1918. REGULATION 8.— CLOSED SEASONS IN ZONE NO. 2. Waterfowl. — The closed season on waterfowl, including coots and gallinules, shall be between February 1 and October 11 next fol- lowing, except as follows: Exceptions: In Alabama, Arkansas. District of Columbia, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana. Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia the closed season shall be between Feb- ruary 1 and October 31 next following. Bails. — The closed season on sora and other rails, excluding coots and gallinules. shall be between December 1 and August 31 next fol- lowing, except as follows: Exceptions: In Louisiana the closed season shall be between February 1 and October 31 : and In California the closed season shall continue until the open season in 1918. Shorebirds. — The closed season on black-breasted and golden plover and greater or lesser yellowlegs shall be between December 1 and August 15 next following. Jacksnipe. — The closed season on jacksnipe or Wilson snipe shall be between February 1 and October 31 next following. Woodcock. — The closed season on woodcock shall be between Jan- nary 1 and October 31 next following. REGULATION 9.— HEARINGS. Persons recommending changes in the regulations or desiring to submit evidence in person or by attorney ns to the necessity for such changes should make application to the Secretary of Agriculture. Hearings will be arranged and due notice thereof given by publica- tion or otherwise as may be deemed appropriate. Persons recom- mending changes should be prepared to show the necessity for such action and to submit evidence other than that based on reasons of persona] convenience or a desire to kill game during a longer open season. WARHINOTO? GOVERN MKNT PR IN TIN*: OFFICE : 191(3