THE OOLOGIST 



25 



The Domestication of American 

 Wild Fowl. 



Upon the discovery of America, vast 

 uncounted herds of bison roamed at 

 will over the middle parts of the con- 

 tinent. The Great Auk, the Labra- 

 dor Duck, and the Eskimo Curlew 

 were in multitudes along the East 

 shore of our continent. The Califor- 

 nia Condor soared in majestic cir- 

 cles and in great numbers over the 

 mountains of the Pacific slope and un- 

 numbered millions of Passenger Pig- 

 eons migrated in flocks, darkening the 

 sun for days at a time; and the beau- 

 tiful colors of the Carolina Paraquet 

 were an everyday sight throughout 

 most of the Eastern half of what is 

 now the United States. But they are 

 gone. 



The Great Auk and the Labrador 

 Duck are known only from a few, very 

 few specimens preserved in Museums; 

 the Eskimo Curlew and the Condor are 

 on the verge of extinction: and a last 

 effort is now being made to discover 

 whether or not the Passenger Pigeon 

 is or is not, and the Carolina Paraquet 

 is not. 



One of the wonders of the early day 

 was the enormous flocks of wild fowl 

 frequenting all the known waters of 

 North America. Vast countless multi- 

 tudes winged their way from the South 

 to the North and back to the South 

 again annually. Ducks, geese, and 

 swan were a staple source of meat 

 supply. Their nests were everywhere. 

 The din of their vast congregations 

 in the Spring and Fall at places could 

 be heard for miles. The thunder of 

 their wings as they rose from marsh, 

 lake and river was like the roar of a 

 distant train. They too are rapidly 

 going. 



The Illinois River, one of the very 

 great migration highways in an early 

 time, was noted for the vast numbers 



of wild fowl passing along during 

 Spring and Fall migration, in one 

 day long years ago the writer counted 

 flocks of wild fowl flying along the 

 Easterly side of the Illinois valley 

 more than two miles from the river, 

 which were estimated to contain $15,- 

 000 birds passing a given point in ten 

 hours. Today, these flocks are nearly 

 gone. Where formerly there were 

 a thousand ducks, today there are not 

 over a hundred. Where formerly there 

 were a thousand swan, today there is 

 perhaps one. Where formerly there 

 was a flock of geese, now there is oc- 

 casionally a pair. The ultimate result 

 is not far to see. Unless something 

 is done to preserve the wild fowl of 

 North American continent, they too 

 will soon be a thing of the past. What 

 id to he done? 



Protection will not do it; it will help; 

 it will postpone the inevitable, but the 

 inevitable will come; that inevitable 

 when there is no wild fowl, unless 

 scmething is done; something beside 

 protection. Game protection as now 

 practiced is mere cr less of a farce. 

 To preserve a duck or a goose or any 

 other bird frr six months in order 

 that you may kill it at the end of the 

 six months, does not tend to perman- 

 ently increase the supply. Yet it is far 

 better than nothing. The longer the 

 ultimate destruction of our wild fowl 

 is postponed, the better it will be for 



us. 



Realizing this fact, the writer for 

 many years has been experimenting 

 in the domestication of our native 

 wild fowl, both ducks and geese. It 

 has now got to where it is a fad; 

 particularly in the eastern part of the 

 country where the wild fowl are now 

 all but extinct, for the wealthier to lay 

 out their places with landscape gard- 

 eners, build pools and ponds, minature 

 lakes and brooks, and stock them with 

 North American ducks and geese for 



