DUCKS, GEESE, AND SWANS. 241 



the few inhabitants ; and considering that they cultivated their small 

 maize-fields, caught fish, hunted stags, beavers, bears, wild cattle, and 

 other animals whose flesh was delicious to them, it will soon appear 

 how little they disturbed the birds. But since the arrival of great 

 crowds of Europeans things are greatly changed : the country is well 

 peopled and the woods are cut down ; the people increasing in this 

 country, they have by hunting and shooting in part extirpated the 

 birds, in part scared them away; in spring the people still take both 

 eggs, mothers, and young indifferently, because no regulations are 

 made to the contrary. And if any had been made, the spirit of free- 

 dom which prevails in the country would not suffer them to be 

 obeyed. But though eatable birds have been diminished greatly, yet 

 there are others which have rather increased than decreased in num- 

 ber since the arrival of the Europeans." 



The practical extermination of wild fowl, especially 

 on inland waters, which long ago was supposed would 

 soon be accomplished, has not yet taken place, and 

 even on rivers where there is much steamboat travel 

 and endless loafing in pleasant weather, and no laws 

 on the subject of fowl-shooting, the ducks and even 

 geese are more abundant to-day than when Kalm 

 wrote one hundred and forty-five years ago. This, 

 however, has no real bearing upon the general state- 

 ment as made, that our wild fowl are decreasing in 

 numbers, extraordinarily abundant as they are in 

 some localities. Again, they are driven more and 

 more from their old feeding-grounds and congregate 

 in waters so wide and open that approach is ex- 

 tremely difficult. The question of primary impor- 

 tance is, Cannot some check be put to the whole- 

 sale slaughter that at many points still goes on? 

 Certainly it is to be hoped so, and the fate that has 

 overtaken the herons be averted from less showy but 

 more valuable birds. 



L q 21 



