GAME LAWS OF THE CLOSE SEASON FOR GAME THE following table shows the close season for all game in the United States, with the exception of mountain sheep and goat and a few unimportant species. Where no dates are given kind of game does not exist, or close season at all times. Local laws, where operative, should be consulted. The first date of the close season and the first date of the open season are given. BIRDS. Elk. Antelope, Mar. 1-Oct. 1..... Mar. 1-Nov. 1. Nov. 2-Aug. 15..... Dec. 11-Aug. 1 (a)31 Sept. 1-Aug. 15 (a).. At all times. To June 1, 1917..... Jan. 1-Sept. 1 Feb. 21-Nov. 20. Dec. 1-Oct. 1 (a).... At all times Dec 1-Sept. 1 (12).. Dec. 1-Sept. 1 (1)... To 1923 (11). At all times At all times (9). At all times At all times.. At all times Mar. 1-Sept. 1. At all times Dec. 16-Aug. 15 (a). At all times Jan. 1-Sept. 1.... Feb.1-July 31 Dec. 16 Oct. 1 (12).. Dec. 1-Nov. 1 (2).. Nov. 1-Sept. 1.... April 1-Sept. 1. Dec. 25-Nov. 10..... (32) At all times.. Dec. 1-Oct. 1 (3) At all times..... Nov. 16-Oct. 1 (b)... At all times.... Nov.1-Aug.1 (a).... At all times Jan. 1-Nov. 1 (a)... To Nov. 1, 1916. Dec. 1-Oct. 1(a).... At all times.. Dec. 1-Nov. 11 (12). At all times. Nov. 1-Oct. 1.. At all times.. Feb. 2-Oct. 15... Dec. 1-Oct. 1 (12).. To Nov. 15, 1915... Feb. 1-Oct. 10(12) Feb. 1-Sept. 10 (12). To Oct. 1, 1915.. 1 Elk only. 2 Cow and calf moose, all year. 3 Moose, caribou, bison or buffalo, all the year. 4 Prairie chicken, closed season all year. 5 Rail excepted. 6 Female protected all the year. 7 Snipe only. 8 Rail-Connecticut, Dec. 1-Sept. 16. 9 Deer raised in private preserves may be killed at any time. 10 Certain species. 11 Deer raised in inclos ure for market may be killed Oct. 1-Feb. 1. 12 Local exceptions. 14 Except Fentress County, Jan. 1-Dec. 1. 1 Except July. 19 Sundays and Mondays are also closed seasons for ducks and other waterfowl. 21 Rail, coot, mud hea, Dec. 1-Sept. 1. 23 Except June 15-Sept. 15. 27 Between Nov. 24 and Jan. 1, hunting with dog and ferret only. 28 Cock pheasant may be killed Nov. 1-Feb. 1, under permit. 29 Residents of the State may kill rabbits on their own land at any time. 30 Grouse to 1920. 31 Season varies according to latitude. 32 Open season for few days only late in November. Prohibitory laws against hunting doves and robins exist in nearly all States. Sale of game during close season is pronibited in most States. License fees from non-residents required in some States. (a) Female deer and elk and deer without horns protected at all times. (b) Except deer without horns. Non-resident not permitted to kill. (d) Game animals or birds may be killed at any time for food or clothing by native Indians or Esquimaux, or by miners or explorers in need of food, but game so killed cannot be shipped or sold. *NEW YORK. Dates for deer hunting apply to Adirondack region only; rest of State no open season. Exceptions: Ulster, Orange and Sullivan Counties, Nov. 16-Nov. 1. Fawns at all times. Hunting with dogs, traps or devices of any kind prohibited. WILD BIRDS-Catching, killing, or the possession of live or dead, and robbing of nests prohibited at all times-except English sparrow, hawk, erow, owl, and blackbird. Hunting and shooting on Sunday prohibited. Export of game or birds taken in the State is prohibited. FISH LAWS, NEW YORK STATE, OPEN SEASON. Troat-April 15 to August 31. Minimum length, six inches. Not more than ten pounds of trout may be taken or transported by one person in one day. Trout must not be taken by any other method than angling. Several States, 1915. SEVERAL STATES, 1915. IN THE UNITED STATES. Open season may be found by reversing dates. The difficulty of securing absolute accuracy in a table of this kind is very great, and absence in laws of many States of express legislation as to inclusion or exclusion of date upon which seasons open and close makes exactness almost an impossibility. Compiled and corrected to October 20, 1914. BIRDS. Woodcock. Dec. 15-Nov. 15..... Apr. 1-Dec. 1 (6).. Dec. 15-Nov. 15..... Jan. 1-Nov. 1.. Mar. 2-Sept. 1... Dec. 1-Oct. 31. Dec. 16-Oct. 1..... At all times..... At all times.... At all times... Dec. 1-Aug. 15...... To July 1, 1923 (28). ....At all times... Feb. 1-Sept. 1.... Feb. 16-Nov. 1 (6). Dec, 25-Nov. 10 May 1-Jan. 1.... To 1919. Nov. 16-Sept. 1 (4). Jan. 16-Nov. 1.. Nov. 2-Sept. 7.... Mar. 1-Nov. 1... Nov. 1-Sept. 1...... Jan. 1-Nov. 15..... Oct. 10-Sept. 10.... To May 8, 1915... Mar. 1-Nov. 1 (19). Feb. 1-Nov. 1(12).. Feb. 1-Nov. 1 (12). Dec. 1-Oct. 1 (12)... -Dec. 1-Oct. 15...... Oct. 2-Sept 7..... Nov. 16-Sept.15 (12) Dec. 1-Oct. 15 Duck, Goose, Brant. Plover, Snipe, Rail. Feb 1-Nov. 1 (21).. 12 14 15 16 Feb. 1-Nov. 1 Dec. 15-Nov 1.. At all times.... At all times Mar. 1-Nov. 1.... .... Jan. 1-Nov. 1. Nov. 16-Oct. 1 Dec. 1-Oct. 15 Feb. 1 Oct 15...... Feb. 1-Nov. 1...... Jan. 16-Oct. 1 (12).. 43 Dec. 16-Oct. 1 (7)... 45 49 50 51 Lake Trout and Whitefish.-Lake trout not less than 14 pounds in weight, and whitefish not less than twelve inches in length, may be taken and possessed from April 1 to December 31, both inclusive. Otsego whitefish, commonly called Otsego bass, not less than nine inches in length, may be taken and possessed from January 1 to October 31, both inclusive. A person may take by Whitefish may be taken in any numangling not to exceed ten lake trout in one day, but whenever two or more persons are angling from the same boat they may take not to exceed fifteen in one day. ber or quantity, Lake trout and whitefish may be taken in Lakes Erie and Ontario in any number or quantity at any time from October 31 to December 31, and when so taken may be possessed Black Bass.-June 16 to November 30, inclusive. Minimum length, ten inches. Limit per day to one person, fifteen; to a boat, two or more persons, twenty-five; bass must not be taken by any other method than angling. Pickerel and Pike.-May 1 to March 1, inclusive. Pike, minimum length, ten inches. Pickerel, minimum length (St. Lawrence River), twenty inches. Pike Perch.-Not less than twelve inches in length may be taken and possessed in any number or quantity from May 1 to March 1, both inclusive. Frogs.-Bullfrogs, green frogs and spring frogs, may be taken in any manner, possessed, bought and sold from June 1 to March 1, both inclusive. They shall not be taken, possessed, bought or sold at any other time. (Long Island, Open Season.) Trout.-April 1 to August 31, inclusive. Rainbow Trout.-April 16 to September 30, inclusive. NOTE.-The State Fish and Game Laws apply where not in conflict with the Long Island provisions THE astronomical calculations in this work were made expressly for it by Dr. J. Morrison and are given in local Mean Time. Chronological Eras. The year 1915 corresponds to the year 7423-24 of the Byzantine era; 5675-76 of the Jewish era, the year 5676 commencing at sunset September 8; 2668 since the foundation of Rome according to Varro; 2691 of the Olympiads, or the third year of the 673d Olympiad commencing July 1; 2575 of the Japanese era, and to the third-fourth year of the period entitled Taisei; 1333-34 of the Mohammedan era, the year 1334 begins on November 9, 1915. The 140th year of the Independence of the United States of America begins on July 4, 1915. Dominical Letter............................. Name. Chronological Cycles. 13 C Lunar Cycle (Golden Number)16 | Roman Indiction 14 Date of Beginning of Epochs, Eras, and Periods. Spring Degins A. M.) 22 7 22 A. M. Washington Mean Time. Winter begins December 22 5 Summer Solstice, Suminer begins Winter Solstice, CHURCH FASTS. THE Roman Catholic Days of fasting are the forty days of Lent, the Ember Days, the Fridays of the four weeks in Advent, and certain vigils or evenings prior to the greater feasts, while cll Fridays of the year are days of abstinence from flesh meat. In the American Episcopal Church the days of fasting or abstinence to be observed, according to the Book of Common Prayer, are the forty days of Lent, the Ember Days, the three Rogation Days, and all the Fridays of the year except Christmas Day. In the Greek Church the four principal fasts are those in Lent, the week succeeding Whitsuntide, the fortnight before the Assumption, and forty days before Christmas. EMBER AND ROCATION DAYS. EMBER and Rogation Days are certain periods of the year devoted to prayer and fasting. Ember Days (twelve annually) about the beginning of the four seasons, and are the Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday after the first Sunday in Lent, in Spring: after the feast of Pentecost (Whit Sunday), Summer; after the festival of the Holy Cross, Autumn; and after the festival of St. Lucia, Winter. Ember Weeks are the weeks in which the Ember Days appear. Rogation Days occur on the Feast of St. Mark, April 25, and on the three days immediately preceding Ascension Day. DIVISIONS OF TIME. THE interval between two consecutive transits of a fixed star over any meridian or the interval during which the earth makes one absolute revolution on its axis is called a Sidereal Day, and is invariable, while the interval between two consecutive transits of the Sun over any meridian is called an Apparent Solar Day, and its length varies from day to day by reason of the variable motion of the earth in its orbit and the inclination of this orbit to the equator on which time is measured. A Mean Solar Day is the average or mean of all the apparent solar days in a year. Mean Solar Time is that shown by a well-regulated clock or watch, while Apparent Solar Time is that shown by a well-constructed sun-dial; the difference between the two at any time is the Equation of Time, and may amount to 16 minutes and 21 seconds. The Astronomical Day begins at noon and the Civil Day at the preceding midnight. The Sidereal and Mean Solar Days are both invariable, but one day of the latter is equal to 1 day, 3 minutes, and 56, 555 seconds of the former. The interval during which the earth makes one absolute revolution round the Sun is called a Sidereal Year, and consists of 365 days, 6 hours, 9 minutes, and 9.6 seconds, which is invariable, The Tropical Year is the interval between two consecutive returns of the Sun to the Vernal Equinox. If this were a fixed point, the Sidereal and Tropical Years would be identical; but in consequence of the disturbing influence of the Moon and planets on the spheroidal figure of the earth, the Equinox has a slow, retrograde mean motion of 50. 26 annually, so that the Sun returns to the Equinox sooner every year than he otherwise would by 20 minutes 23.6 seconds; the Tropical Year, therefore, consists of 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, and 46 seconds. The Tropical Year is not of uniform length; it is now slowly decreasing at the rate of .595 second per century, but this variation will not always continue. Julius Caesar, in B. C. 45, was the first to reform the calendar by ordering that every year whose date number is exactly divisible by 4 contain 366 days, and all other years 365 days. The intercalary day was introduced by counting the sixth day before the Kalends of March twice; hence the name bissextile, from bis, twice, and sex, six, He also changed the beginning of the year from 1st of March to the 1st of January, and also changed the name of the fifth month (Quintilis) to July, after himself, The average length of the Julian year is therefore 365 days, which, however, is too long by 11 minutes and 14 seconds, and this would accumulate in 400 years to about three days. The Julian Calendar continued in use until A. D. 1582, when the date of the beginning of the seasons occurred 10 days later than in B. C. 45, when this mode of reckoning time was introduced. The Gregorian Calendar was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII. with the view of keeping the Equinox to the same day of the month. It consists of 365 days, but every year exactly divisible by 4 and the centurial years which are exactly divisible by 400 contain 366 days; and if in addition to this arbitrary arrangement the centurial years exactly divisible by 4,000 contain 366 days, the error in the Gregorian system will amount to only one day in about 200 centuries. If, however, 31 leap years were intercalated in 128 years, instead of 32 as at present, the calendar would be practically exact and the error would not amount to more than a day in 100,000 years. The length of the mean Gregorian Year may therefore be set down at 365 days, 5 hours, 49 minutes, 12 seconds. The Gregorian Calendar was introduced into England and her colonies in 1752. at which time the Equinox had retrograded 11 days since the Council of Nice in A. D. 325, when the festival of Easter was established and the Equinox occurred on March 21; hence September 3. 1752. was called September 14, and at the same time the commencement of the legal year was changed from March 25 to January 1, so that the year 1751 lost the months of January and February and the first 24 days of March. The difference between the Julian and Gregorian Calendars is now 13 days. Russia and the Greek Church still employ the Julian Calendar for civil and ecclesiastical purposes. STANDARD TIME. (From a statement prepared by the United States Naval Observatory, Washington, D. C.) THE United States adopted standard time in 1883, on the initiative of the American Railway Association, and at noon of November 18, 1883, the telegraphic time signals sent out daily from the Naval Observatory at Washington were changed to the new system, according to which the meridians of 75°, 90°, 105° and 120° west from Greenwich became the time meridians of Eastern, Central, Mountain, and Pacific standard time respectively. Theoretically, the divisions should be half way between the above meridians, but for general convenience the railroads change their time at the ends of railroad divisions, so that Eastern standard time is used from the Atlantic coast to an irregular line through Buffalo, Salamanca, Pittsburgh, Wheeling, W. Va.; Holloway, Ohio, Huntington, W. Va.; Bristol, Tenn.; Norton, Va.; Asheville, N. C.; Atlanta, Augusta, Ga.: Columbia, S. C.; Central Junction, Ga. Some of these cities use Eastern and some Central time, while the railroads use one time in one direction and the other time in the other direction. The same applies to the cities on the dividing lines between the Central and Mountain divisions, the line running through Bismarck, N. D., South Dakota, Nebraska, Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, and Texas to El Paso; also to the cities on the dividing line between the Mountain and Pacific division, the line running through Montana. Idaho, Oregon, Utah, Nevada, and Arizona. For Time Difference table see page 33. Almost all countries throughout the world use standard time based on the meridians 15° apart from Greenwich, while some use standard time based on the longitude of their national observatories. JANUARY 1. NEW YEAR'S DAY: In all States (including District of Columbia, Porto Rico and Alaska), except Arkansas and Massachusetts. (In Maine a bank holiday only legally.) JANUARY 8. ANNIVERSARY OF THE BATTLE OF NEW ORLEANS: In Louisiana. JANUARY 19. LEE'S BIRTHDAY: In Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Alabama, Mississippi and Arkansas. FEBRUARY. MARDI-GRAS: In the parish of Orleans, Louisiana. FEBRUARY 12. GEORGIA DAY: In Georgia. FEBRUARY 12, LINCOLN'S BIRTHDAY: In California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, West Virginia and Wyoming. FEBRUARY 22. WASHINGTON'S BIRTHDAY: In all the States, District of Columbia, Porto Rico and Alaska. MARDI-GRAS DAY, SHROVE TUESDAY: In Alabama and Florida (in counties having a carnival). FEBRUARY - MARCH. First Wednesday prior to Spring election at which Circuit Judges are elected and in counties and cities where offices are filled at Spring election in Michigan. MARCH (Third Tuesday). PRIMARY ELECTION DAY: (every Presidential year) in North Dakota. MARCH 2. ANNIVERSARY OF TEXAN INDEPENDENCE: In Texas, MARCH 4. INAUGURATION DAY: In District of Columbia in years when a President of the U. S. is inaugurated. MARCH 22. EMANCIPATION DAY: In Porto Rico. APRIL (First Monday in 1916 and every four years thereafter). PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY: In Michigan. APRIL 2, 1915. GOOD FRIDAY: In Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey Pennsylvania, Porto Rico, Tennessee. APRIL 12. HALIFAX INDEPENDENCE RESOLUTIONS: In North Carolina. APRIL 13. THOMAS JEFFERSON'S BIRTHDAY: In Alabama. PATRIOTS' DAY: in Maine and APRIL 19. Massachusetts. APRIL 21. ANNIVERSARY OF THE BATTLE OF SAN JACINTO: In Texas. APRIL 26. CONFEDERATE MEMORIAL DAY: In Alabama, Florida, Georgia and Mississippi. MAY 10. CONFEDERATE MEMORIAL DAY In North Carolina and South Carolina. MAY (Second Friday). CONFEDERATE DAY: In Tennessee. MAY 20. ANNIVERSARY OF THE SIGNING OF THE MECKLENBURG DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE: In North Carolina, MAY 30. DECORATION DAY: In all the States (and District of Columbia, Porto Rico and Alaska), except Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas. JUNE 3. JEFFERSON DAVIS'S BIRTHDAY: In Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Texas. Arkansas and South Carolina. In Louisiana, known as Confederate Memorial Day." In Virginia, in public schools. JUNE11. KAMEHAMEHA DAY: In Ter. Hawaii. DAY: In North Dakota. JULY 4. INDEPENDENCE DAY: In all the States, and District of Columbia, Porto Rico and Alaska. JULY 10. ADMISSION DAY: In Wyoming. JULY 24. PIONEERS' DAY: In Utah. JULY 25. LANDING OF AMERICAN TROOPS: Porto Rico. JULY (Fourth Saturday). PRIMARY ELECTION DAY: In Texas. In In SEPTEMBER 6, 1915. LABOR DAY: In all the States (and District of Columbia and Alaska). Louisiana, observed in Orleans Parish. SEPTEMBER. PRIMARY ELECTION DAY: Nevada and Wisconsin, First Tuesday. SEPTEMBER (Third Saturday). REGATTA DAY: In Territory of Hawaii, SEPTEMBER 9. ADMISSION DAY: In California. SEPTEMBER 12. "OLD DEFENDERS' DAY'': In Baltimore, Md. OCTOBER 12. COLUMBUS DAY: In Alabama, Arkansas. California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermout, Washington, West Virginia. OCTOBER 18. ALASKA DAY. In Alaska. OCTOBER 31. ADMISSION DAY: In Nevada. NOVEMBER1. ALL SAINTS' DAY: In Louisiana. NOVEMBER (first Friday), PIONEER DAY: Montana, observed in public schools. In to NOVEMBER 2. GENERAL ELECTION DAY: In Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, sota, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hamp Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minneshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, (from 12 M. 5.30 P. M. only), Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, (biennially in even years) South ginia, West Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, VirWyoming, in the years when elections are held therein. In 1915 in States holding such elections the date is November 2. NOVEMBER 25, 1915. THANKSGIVING DAY (usually the last Thursday in November): Is observed in all the States, and in the District of Columbia, Porto Rico and Alaska, though in some States it is not a statutory holiday. DECEMBER 25. CHRISTMAS DAY: In all the States and District of Columbia, Porto Rico and Alaska. Sundays and Fast Days are legal holidays in all the States which designate them as such, There are no statutory holidays in Mississippi, but by common consent the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving and Christmas are observed. In New Mexico, Washington's Birthday, Decoration Day, Labor Day, Flag Day (June 14) and Arbor Day are holidays when so designated by the Governor. In South Carolina, Thursday of Fair Week is a legal holiday. ARBOR DAY is a legal holiday in many States, although in some it is observed as designated by the Governor. Every Saturday after 12 o'clock noon is a legal holiday in California in public offices, Illinois (in cities of 200,000 or more inhabitants), Maryland, Michigan, New York, New Jersey, Ohio, Peunsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, the District of Columbia (for banking purposes), and in New Orleans, La., and Charleston, S. C.; in Louisiana in all cities exceeding 10,000 inhabitants; in Missouri in cities of 100,000 or more inhabitants; in Tennessee, for State and county officers, and in Colorado during June, July and August; in Indiana, first Saturday in June to last Saturday in October, inclusive, for all public offices in counties having a county-seat of 100,000 population or more; in New Hampshire in State offices. There is no national holiday, not even the Fourth of July, Congress has at various times appointed special holidays. In the second session of the Fifty-third Congress it passed an act mak ing Labor Day a public holiday in the District of Columbia, and it has recognized the existence of certain days as holidays for commercial purposes, but, with the exception named, there is no general statute on the subject. The proclamation AUGUST 1. COLORADO DAY: In Colorado. of the President designating a day of Thanksgiv AUGUST 16, BENNINGTON BATTLE DAY: In ing only makes it a legal holiday in the District Vermont. AUGUST. PRIMARY ELECTION DAY: In Missouri. In Michigan (last Tuesday in August preceding every general November election). of Columbia and the Territories. |