following on horses. The Jacks, as they are called, are exceedingly swift runners, but are often overtaken by the hounds.

Squirrels. Of all game animals no one furnishes more sport to the young hunter than does the black or gray squirrel. For squirrel-hunting a dog is useful to point out the tree where the game is in hiding; and for this purpose almost any dog with a good nose will do. The proper weapon is a small bore-rifle, though the shotgun is often used; but the rifle calls for the most skill and gives better satisfaction in every way. Other animals hunted in the United States are the Raccoon, the Wolf, the Lynx, the Couguar, and the Opossum, and sometimes the Alligator and the Eagle. These, all of which are described in C. C.T., are usually shot with the rifle.

dents of the State are not allowed to hunt in certain counties without becoming members of one of the Game Protective Societies. Robbing the nests of wild birds or killing song-birds is unlawful in all the States mentioned.

Trespassing. In most cases it is necessary for the sportsman to hunt on land belonging to other people. The best plan is to obtain permission, which in this country is usually given readily, but often huntsmen have become so accustomed to kill game in a certain spot without hindrance, that they think they have a right to do so. Courts, however, have decided that, no matter what the custom is, sportsmen cannot claim a legal right to hunt on other people's land, nor even to stand on the public road and shoot over the fence, or send in a dog. In any Game Laws. Most States have such case the sportsman is really passed statutes for the preservation trespassing, and although the owner of game. of the land usually does not care, Methods. In New York deer the sportsman should always recannot be taken by traps, spring-member that the owner has a right guns, or similar devices. They to order him to leave. If he refuse, must not be hunted with dogs in and do not leave after a reasonable St. Lawrence and Delaware counties, time, the owner may then use necesand in other counties only in cer- sary force, but not till then. The tain prescribed seasons. It is for- owner has no right, for instance, to bidden to kill fawns. In New York, set a savage dog on the trespasser New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, wild whom he finds on his land. In some fowl must not be killed with swivel States special laws have been made or punt-guns, or by any other device against sportsmen who enter land except such a gun as is ordinarily when they are forbidden by a raised to the shoulder and fired. printed and posted notice. In New York it is unlawful to hunt wild fowl at night or with a " floating battery" or to use a decoy more than twenty rods from shore, except in certain bays in Long Island, in Lake Ontario, and in Hudson River below Albany. In New York it is unlawful also to shoot wild fowl from any steam or sailing vessel. Game birds in general may not be trapped in any of these States. In New York hares and rabbits may not be hunted with ferrets, except in orchards or nurseries by their owners. In New Jersey non-resi

The owner of a piece of land does not own the live game on it, in the same way that he owns his horses, dogs, or chickens, but he has the exclusive right to kill it so long as it is on his land. This right is called his property in game. But game is the property of no particular person till he has killed it. The question as to who owns game killed by a trespasser has never been settled in the United States.

Some States allow hunting privileges to its own citizens which they deny to those of other States.

HUNTING

425

Their right to do this has been kings of Persia owned many vast
denied by some people, but the hunting parks, in which were kept
Supreme Court of the United wild animals. These parks were
States has decided that it is allowa-
ble to make such laws with regard
to oyster-fishing, and probably all
similar laws would be supported in
like manner.

called by the Greeks paradeisos,
from which we get our word Para-
dise. The Greek and Roman le-
gends are full of hunting stories.
The Greeks were fond of the sport,
and Xenophon and other Greek
authors wrote books about it, froin
which it appears that hares, boars,
stags, lions, panthers, and bears
hunted.
game
were among the

Seasons. Most of the States have laws regulating the times when the several species of game may be killed. See Tables following, The black lines show months the game In Egypt the huntsmen formed a is "in season." A short black line in the columns means first half of class by themselves, either hunting month, when printed toward the on their own account, or acting as left; and last half, wher. toward the attendants of the nobility. right. Figures to the left of short Sometimes trained lions were emlines mean in season from that date, ployed by them instead of dogs, and to right, to that date. These just as the cheetah, or hunting times are only approximately cor- leopard, is used in India at the rect, as legislatures are constantly present day, and the huntsman changing them. The sportsman to sometimes rode in a chariot, disAllusions be absolutely safe should therefore charging arrows at the game when make special inquiry in each case. he came within range. The intent of these laws is to protect in the Bible to huntsmen and their the game during its breeding season, nets and snares show that in Palesso that birds may not be killed while tine trapping was a favorite mode of nesting and rearing their young nor securing game; but spears and arbefore the young birds shall have rows were also sportsmen's weapons. grown large and strong enough to The horse and dog were not used care for themselves. The time when in hunting by the Jews. King Herod game may lawfully be killed is called was a successful huntsman, and is the "open season," and during that said to have killed forty boars, wild period the game is said to be "in asses, and deer in a single day. The season." The period when it cannot Romans viewed hunting, like other be killed is called the "close sea- sports, less as an occupation for son," and the game is then said to be gentlemen than as a spectacle, and out of season." In most States it is exhibitions of hunting were often forbidden also to have in possession given in the great amphitheatres. Sometimes the beasts were killed by or to sell game in the close season. History. The pursuit of wild birds attendants, and sometimes the peoand animals was probably under-ple were allowed to rush in and taken at first to obtain food, or for protection; but it must have begun very early to be thought of as a sport, for the oldest nations whose history we knew so considered it. In the great eastern kingdoms the Kings and their courtiers were very fond of the sport, and the sculptures on the ruins of Nineveh and other great cities of Assyria and Persia often represent hunting scenes. The

carry away what they could get, in which case no dangerous animals were brought in. Sometimes large trees were taken up and planted in the arena, to make it look like a forest.

In one of these hunting spectacles, which were called Venationes, there were 1000 ostriches, 1000 stags, 1000 boars, 1000 deer, and numbers of wild goats, wild sheep, and other smaller animals