Chap. 259.—An ACT to amend and re-enact sections 14, 15, 23, 24 and 28, of
an act entitled an act to creat a State department of game and Inland
fisheries, and providing for the issuing of licenses to provide revenue
for the support of such department, and imposing penalties for its vio-
lation, approved March 11, 1916. {H B §4J

Approved March 16, 1918.

1. Be it enacted by the general assembly of Virginia, That
sections fourteen, fifteen, twenty-three, twenty-four, and twenty-
eight of an act entitled an act to create a State department of
game and inland fisheries, and providing for the issuing of licenses
to provide revenue for the support of such department, and inm-
posing penalties for its violation, approved March eleventh, nine-
teen hundred and sixteen, be and the same are hereby amended and
re-enacted so as to read as follows: .

Sec. 14. Commissioner shall appoint county, city and district
game wardens. The commissioner shall appoint, from a list of
not less than ten nor more than twenty, to be furnished by the
boards of supervisors of the counties and the councils of cities,
such regular and special game wardens in each county and city of
this State as he may deem necessary to enforce the laws, which
appointment shall be based. upon a practical knowledge of the
animal, bird and fish life and game laws of this State, and such
person so appointed shall be known as game wardens, and shall
hold office during the pleasure of the commissioner appointing them.
and until their successors are duly appointed; provided, however.
that there shall not be less than one regular warden in each county.
The commissioner may also appoint a special game warden for each
magisterial district in every county, except the district in which
the regular warden lives, who shall receive two dollars and fifty
cents per dav for the time actually employed in the enforcement
of the game laws, which shall be for a period of five days during
each of the months of October, November, December, and January
and who shall give such additional time to such work as may bk
required of him by the county game warden. All expenses fo.
the services of such district special wardens shall be paid out o!
the first funds collected from the sale of hunters’ licenses.

Sec. 15. Duties and powers of game wardens.—The warden:
shall assist the State game commissioner in the discharge of hi
official duties; the special wardens shall be under the control o:
such regular wardens as the commissioner shall direct, and sai
wardens shal] have the power and authority in the enforcemen
of this law, as is provided in this chapter for the State game com
missioner, and shall have jurisdiction throughout the entire Stat
in all matters relative to the enforcement of this law, and the com
missioner and each warden shall have and they are hereby investe:
with the power and authority necessary upon displaying badge o
authority or credentials of office, to arrest any person found in th
act of violating any of the provisions of the forest, game an
inland fisheries laws, heretofore, now or hereafter enacted. and t
seize and to search any such person so arrested, together with any
box, can, package, barrel or other container, hunting-bag, coat,
suit, grip satchel or fish basket carried by or in the possession of
such person so arrested, and to enter and search any refrigerator,
building, vehicle, car, coach, depot office, restaurant, cafe, hotel,
or other place of whatsoever nature in which the person making
such arrest, as aforesaid, has reasonable ground to believe that the
person arrested has concealed or placed any fish or game which
shall furnish evidence of the violation of game and inland fish
laws of this State, and such arrests, seizure or search may be
made without a warrant, except that a dwelling may not be
searched without a warrant, and any animal, bird or fish, or part
thereof, which has been killed, taken or captured or had in or
proven to have been in possession of any person in violation of the
game and fish laws of this State, shall be deemed prima facie evi-
dence that the person in whose possession the same is found is
guilty of having taken, captured or killed such bird, fish or animal,
and the same shall be seized by said warden; upon demand of any
warden, or other officer, any person found hunting shall exhibit
his license, and failure to do so shall be prima facie evidence that
he is hunting without license. The powers and duties of the special
game wardens in the magisterial districts of the several counties
shall be subject to the supervision of the county wardens, similar
to those of the regular wardens.

Sec. 24. State license; how obtained.—Any person who has been
a bona fide resident of this State for six months next preceding
the date of application may procure a State hunter’s license for
himself by making application, as provided by the preceding sec-
tion, and by paying to the said clerk the sum of three dollars,
which shall entitle him to a State hunter’s license, and shall author-
ize him to hunt in any county in this State; provided, that fox
hunters, who hunt with hounds shall not be required to obtain a
license. Non-residents who own Jand in this State and their sons
shall be allowed to hunt without a license on their own land and
immediately adjoining land.

Sec. 28. Clerks shall retain ten cents for a county license and
twenty cents for a State license, from the money received for each
license issued by them, and shall pay the balance to the State treas-
urer on the first day of each month, which amount shall be covered
into the game protection fund, and said clerks shall report to the
commissioner on the first day of each month the number of licenses
issued and the licenses and the amount of money remitted to the
State treasurer.