Section 25 Possession of live birds, mammals, reptiles or amphibians; sale; tags; labels; accounts - Massachusetts Statutes

Section 25. Except as provided in sections four and twenty-three, a person shall not have in his possession at any time a live bird or mammal other than those named in section five, or a live reptile or amphibian. Birds and mammals had in possession under any license issued under clause (4) or (6) of section twenty-three may be sold at any time, except if sold for food they shall be killed, and tagged as follows:—To the carcass of each bird or mammal or part thereof shall be affixed a numbered tag, to be supplied by the director at a cost to be determined annually by the commissioner of administration under the provision of section three B of chapter seven and in accordance with rules and regulations which the director is hereby authorized to make. Every package containing birds or mammals killed under authority of this section, or parts of such birds or mammals, shall be plainly labelled with the name of the holder of the license, by whom, or under whose authority such birds or mammals were killed, with the name of the consignee, and with a statement of the number of birds or mammals, or parts thereof, contained therein. All carcasses or parts thereof shall remain entire and unplucked until such time as they are prepared for consumption as food. Reptiles and amphibians had in possession under any license issued under clause (4) of section twenty-three may be sold at any time.

Nothing herein shall be construed to permit the possession of a live bird, mammal, reptile or amphibian, other than those named in section five and those on the special exemption list provided for in section twenty-three by a person purchasing or receiving such a bird, mammal, reptile or amphibian from a holder of a propagator’s license or a dealer’s license issued under section twenty-three, unless such purchaser or receiver shall also hold a license under this chapter authorizing him so to possess.

An accurate account of all dealings subject to this section shall be kept by each licensee, including the names of persons from whom any birds, mammals, reptiles or amphibians, alive or dead, or parts thereof, have been obtained or to whom any such birds, mammals, reptiles or amphibians, or parts thereof, have been sold or otherwise disposed of, and said records shall be open for inspection at all reasonable times by the director or his agents, the director of law enforcement, his deputy directors of enforcement, chiefs of enforcement, deputy chiefs of enforcement and environmental police officers.

A person licensed under the authority of section twenty-three shall not transfer any live bird, or the eggs thereof, or any live mammal, reptile or amphibian, to any person by means of sale, gift, donation or otherwise, unless such last mentioned person shall first be thereunto licensed under said section.