3i8 



THE GUIDE TO NATURE 



Effective Bird Protection, 

 "he Agassiz Association and every 



one of its 

 Edward A. 



friends congratulate Air. 

 Mcllhenny, one of our 



SXOWV HERONS ON NEST. 



members, upon his success in securing 

 the purchase of Marsh Island by Airs. 

 Russell Sage at a cost of $150,000. This 

 is to be set aside as a home for birds 

 where they may live and be happy, 

 and not be slaughtered as so many of 

 them have been. 



Marsh Island is about eighteen miles 

 in length and about nine in width, and 

 contains about seventy-five thousand 

 acres. For more than half a century 

 it has been the greatest slaughtering 

 ground for clucks in all North America, 

 with the exception of Currituck Sound, 

 North Carolina. About seventy mar- 



SNOWV HERON, NEST AND YOUNG. 



BLUE WINCED TEAL FEEDING. 



ket gunners have regularly been killing 

 the birds there. Every year countless 

 thousands of ducks and geese are shot 

 for the markets of New Orleans, St. 

 Louis, Cincinnati and Chicago. It was 

 the great winter killing ground of the 

 south. The game birds most com- 

 monlv taken were mallards, black 

 ducks, teal and canvasback ducks, blue 

 geese and snow geese. Besides these 

 the island is frequented by thousands 

 of herons of four species, bitterns, 

 loons, rails and shore birds. 



To Marsh Island the ducks of the 

 north resorted in winter to find food 

 and shelter when the northern lakes 

 and streams were locked fast under ice, 



