wild bird not a game bird, and which prohibits the killing or trapping of any wild bird other than a game bird. It allows the killing of game birds only between November and March, and defines game birds as follows:

"Swans, geese, brant, river and sea ducks, rails, coots, mudhens and gallinules, shore birds, plovers, surf birds, snipe, woodcock, sandpipers, tattlers and curlews, wild turkeys, grouse, prairie chickens, pheasants, doves, partridges and quail."

To anyone who, with gun in hand, has ranged along the coast country these names revive pleasing memories.

The act further provides that it shall not be unlawful to kill the following birds: The English or European house sparrow, great horned owl, sharp-shinned hawk, commonly known as the little blue darter or blue tail, cooper's hawk, known as the big blue darter or blue tail, crow, lark, crow blackbird, jackdaw and rice bird.

Another law provides for the appointment in each county of a game warden, whose duty it shall be to see to the enforcement of the game laws.

MARYLAND.

The legislation of the session in this state was impeded by the senatorial contest and the interruption by the disastrous fire in Baltimore. Six hundred and ninety-two acts were passed.

The earliest laws approved were naturally those arising out of the Baltimore conflagration of February 7, 1904. Special business holidays were instantly created for Baltimore city from February 8th to February 15th, inclusive, with power to the governor to extend the period, and the time to plead in all cases at common law in the same city was summarily extended by the legislature to April 15th.

An act creates a Burnt District Commission for Baltimore city with extensive powers of condemnation of land for public uses. Under the authority given, this commission has widened

ten or twelve streets, acquired land for a market space and a court house plaza, and all the wharf property, including several blocks adjacent, for a new system of docks to be owned by the city.

An act provides for a state registration of nurses, and another establishes a state board of barber examiners. The latter law marks a growing tendency to encourage state boards of all conceivable kinds.

Judgments of justices of the peace are to be affirmed by circuit courts where the appellants are not ready for trial.

The mother of an infant is authorized to file a petition for the change of its name, although the father is living and a resident of Maryland.

Replevin bonds are no longer to be given to the plaintiff, but to the state for the use of the parties in interest.

In suits before magistrates, as well as in the courts, the existence of a corporation or partnership or the representative character of a party must be denied under oath before the hearing; otherwise it will be taken as admitted.

Mortgagees of lands may be made parties to suits instituted. for sale for purposes of partition. Heretofore it has been possible to bring into such proceedings mortgagees of undivided interests only. This new law is of great importance as affecting both right and remedy.

Courts of chancery may now decree the execution of mortgages so as to bind unborn parties. The law in this respect has been made to conform to that prevailing since 1868 in reference to sales and leases.

Exemptions from execution have been further extended. One hundred dollars in property, whether the same consists of money, land or goods, as well as all money payable in the nature of insurance, benefit or relief in the contingency or event of sickness, accident, hurt or death of any person, is now protected against seizure on fieri facias.

A delay in the late governor's appointment prevented an early report by an able commission ultimately selected to revise

the corporation laws. The profession and the state must, in consequence, tolerate for a further period of at least two years a chaotic and confusing condition of these statutes now prevailing.

Life insurance, accident insurance, safe deposit, trust and fidelity companies are authorized to call in or cancel the whole or part of their capital stock, and to issue other stock in lieu thereof.

The future individual liability of stockholders in trust and certain other joint stock companies is defined by a law which became operative on March 25th without the governor's approval. It is a single liability and is constituted an asset of the corporation, enforceable alone by the receiver thereof. Existing rights are, however, saved by this particular amendment, and a second act, approved April 12th, provides an exclusive remedy against stockholders for all rights existing under the law as it stood before March 25, 1904, not affected by the enactment of that date. The remedy is by bill in equity in the nature of a creditor's bill, filed by one or more creditors. This measure provides for the abatement of all pending actions at law, instituted since January 1, 1903, by individual creditors and the payment of the costs thereof out of the common fund produced by the equity proceeding.

The dangers of wood alcohol are reduced by legislation which forbids its use.

Fines imposed for the desertion of wife and minor child can now be ordered by the court to be paid in whole or in part to the wife. A husband arrested for desertion may be released for one year on giving recognizance to pay a weekly sum to the wife for her support. This provision is also operative before conviction with the consent of the traverser.

The period of possible commitment of female minors to juvenile institutions has been extended from eighteen to twentyone years of age.

An infant without proper care may be committed to such an institution under an act which contains definitions and prescribes methods.

Conservators of the peace of other states, railway special agents and persons carrying weapons as a reasonable precaution against apprehended danger, are exempted from the law in reference to concealed weapons.

The malicious and wrongful tapping of water mains has been added to the long category of statutory offenses.

Trading stamps, unless redeemable in money, were so offensive to the legislative conscience as to receive the condemnation of two acts of assembly.

The brighter side of penal legislation is presented by the emendation of the law concerning the juvenile court.

Jurisdiction is ceded to the United States over territory which has been heretofore or may be hereafter acquired by the government for public purposes, but civil process may be served by state officers in such territory.

After June 1, 1904, leases for terms not exceeding seven years will terminate whenever the improvements on the premises become untenantable by reason of fire or unavoidable accident, and all liability for rent thereunder will cease upon payment of apportioned rent.

Impediments of coverture and imprisonment have been removed from limitations on bonds, and the payment of interest upon a single bill or other specialty now suspends the period of limitation for three years thereafter.

The mortgage tax has been repealed as to Baltimore city and fourteen counties of the state. Elsewhere it will be hereafter collected for the benefit of the counties themselves, and not for that of the state.

The collateral inheritance tax is not enforceable for an indefinite period. The security of titles and the peace of mind of conveyancers are increased by the establishment of a limitation of four years for its collection.

A notable change has been effected in the publication of the Maryland reports and the codification of the general statutes of the state. The new law creates a salaried office of State Reporter and Codifier, provides for advertisement for the pub

lication of the reports and the award thereof to the most responsible bidder furnishing the best terms to the public. The publisher must agree to sell the advance sheets at a price fifty cents less per volume than the price exacted for the bound volume itself. The copyright in the volumes subsequent to 97 Md. will belong to the state. In consequence of this change. the price of the future bound volumes of the Maryland reports will be $1.75 instead of $4.00.

Immediately after the session of the general assembly of 1910, and decennially thereafter, the Reporter and Codifier is to prepare a code of public general laws, which is to be submitted to a commission of three persons to be appointed by the Court of Appeals, and the Reporter and Codifier is also, from time to time in the future, to codify the public local laws of the state.

A "Jim Crow" law was enacted applying to steam railroads and steamboats. For the benefit for those not familiar with the legislative lingo, I would say that the name of "Jim Crow," the hero of an old negro song very popular in the days before the war, has been applied to the legislation of recent years separating the whites and negroes in railroad trains.

An act of practical and personal interest to lawyers and judges was passed, providing for the pensioning of judges. It reads as follows:

"Every judge of the Circuit Courts of the counties, Supreme Bench of Baltimore city, or the Court of Appeals, who shall attain the age of seventy years while in office, after having served the ten preceding consecutive years, and every judge of any of said courts who shall have served upon the bench fifteen consecutive years, whether such service be before or after the passage of this act, and who shall have reached the age of seventy years, and every person who has heretofore been elected, and has served as judge of any of said courts, and is now no longer in office, and has attained the age of seventy years, or if not now seventy years of age, when he shall attain said age, shall be entitled to a salary of $2400 per annum, payable in quarterly installments as other judges' salaries are now paid."