Acknowledgments 



This is the fifty-first technical dissertation (and third book ) 

 resulting from the cooperative studies of the Delta Waterfowl Research Station. 

 The scientific program at Delta, Manitoba, was founded in 1931 by James F. Bell, 

 of Minneapolis, who established the buildings and equipment necessary for 

 biological research at the edge of a great breeding marsh. For the opportunity of 

 using these materials in an ideal wild location, within an atmosphere of complete 

 academic freedom, and for countless courtesies, I am grateful to Mr. Bell. 



From 1931 to 1939 the Station was operated by Edward Ward, of Delta, who 

 pioneered many new techniques in the captive-breeding of wild ducks. In 1938 

 the American Wildlife Institute joined to share sponsorship with Mr. Bell, and at 

 this time, under the counsel of Professor Aldo Leopold, Dr. Miles D. Pirnie, and 

 Dr. William Rowan, the plan of research by university graduate students was 

 established. A heavy debt of gratitude is due these gentlemen. 



Sponsorship was transferred to the Wildlife Management Institute in 1945; then 

 in 1950 the North American Wildlife Foundation, with its international Board of 

 Directors, assumed responsibility for sponsorship, the Wildlife Management 

 Institute remaining the administrative organization. To the directors, officers, and 

 members of these two organizations my colleagues and I at Delta are grateful 

 for the opportunity of continuing studies under an expanding program, with 

 improved living and working facilities. Especially helpful have been Max 

 Mcgraw, of Chicago, President of the North American Wildlife Foundation; 

 Colonel Arthur Sullivan, Q.C., of Winnipeg; Robert M. Gaylord, of Rockford; 

 Glenn L. Martin, of Baltimore; W. A. Murphy, John B. Richardson, and H. E. 

 Sellers, all of Winnipeg; and Herbert J. Symington, Q.C., and R. Howard Web- 

 ster, both of Montreal. 



The Station has depended heavily upon the ready counsel of the Canadian 

 Wildlife Service and has appreciated the annual grants of permits for special 

 studies. The Manitoba Department of Mines and Natural Resources and the 

 Manitoba Game and Fisheries Branch have been generous with manpower, 

 equipment, and services. The National Research Council of Canada has con- 



• H. Albert Hochbaum, The Canvasback on a Prairie Marsh, 1944; Lyle K. Sowls, Prairie 

 Ducks, 1955. 



