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British Wildlife Law Before The American Revolution: Lessons From The Past, Thomas A. Lund

Michigan Law Review

Early legislation may excite the condescending interest ·that Dr. Johnson directed toward a dog walking on its hind legs: "It is not done well; but you are surprised to find it done at all." British wildlife law, however, merits more respect. As long ago as the Middle Ages, man's appetite for meat endowed legislators with at least an ambling competence at wildlife management. Nor has the passage of time made their efforts wholly irrelevant. Early methods of controlling habitat, for example, may still be appropriate since historical change has not altered the needs of animals as it has those of …