XIII 



AMERICAN DUCK CLUBS 



NEARLY all of the best marshes and the desirable 

 lands about the ponds and lakes in the United 

 States which are frequented by wild fowl during their 

 migrations now are owned or leased by individuals and 

 clubs. 



The best shooting points about the Chesapeake Bay 

 and on the outlying beaches also are controlled in the 

 same way, and the number of duck clubs is increasing 

 rapidly. For a time the shares in these clubs became 

 more and more valuable as the years passed, until shares 

 which cost a few hundred dollars or less when they were 

 issued easily were sold for from $1,000 to $5,000 and per- 

 haps more. The diminution of the flight, due to the de- 

 crease in the numbers of the ducks, has caused a decline 

 in the value of the shares in some of the duck clubs, and 

 in some instances the decline in value has been rapid. 



The marshes about the great lakes in the United States 

 and Canada are owned and controlled by many clubs. 

 The center of abundance of these clubs is from Sandusky 

 Westward and around the Western end of Lake Erie to 

 the St. Clair Flats, where there are excellent duck clubs, 

 both in the United States and in Canada, 



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