The first method, historically, of acquiring the ownership of any article was to take possession of property which had previously had no owner. The importance of this method of acquiring property decreased in importance with the decrease of unappropriated property in the world. Property, however, may still be acquired in this manner in the following classes of cases:

(1) Goods taken by capture in war.

(2) Goods lost by their owner and never reclaimed.

(3) Goods intentionally abandoned.

(4) Waifs.

(5) Animals, ferae naturae reclaimed.

(1) The right of capture of personal property in war was formerly of great importance. The right is now generally limited to captures on water, and the extent of the application of this right is being constantly more and more restricted.1

(2) and (3) Goods lost or abandoned become the property of the finder, if the former owner has entirely abandoned the intention of reclaiming them.2 Until such abandonment on the part of the owner, he may retake his lost chattels, whenever and wherever he may find them, even in the possession of a bona fide purchaser.

(4) Waifs, are stolen goods thrown away by a thief in his flight. Formerly, such goods belonged to the government if seized by anyone but the owner. At the present time, the government is held to hold such goods in trust for the true owner.3

(5) Wild animals, or animals ferae naturae, belong to no one. Any person may become the owner of such animals by reducing them to possession. Such property is a qualified one, however, which is lost upon the escape of the animal. It is said that if the animal becomes so far tamed that it will return to its master's house of its own accord, the qualified property becomes an absolute one.