46 On the trail of vanishing birds 



We finally attempted to drag with our seine, but moving 

 about with any purpose in that mud proved disastrous. First 

 Bobby's boots came off, then mine. We fell down, got our- 

 selves covered with mud from head to foot and finally gave it 

 up as a bad job. Managed to collect a few small crabs, killifishes 

 and small fry. However, in struggling to keep on my feet I broke 

 the thermometer, which was the last straw. Also the last ther- 

 mometer! 



Question: does Camp Pond have an outlet to Mullet Bay and 

 will a south or southeast wind push water back into this area 

 along with a renewal of the crustaceans, fish, etc. [in the margin 

 the word "Yes!" is written in a large hand, evidently added at a 

 later date when this particular problem had been solved to our 

 satisfaction]. 



This sort of thing was not only routine, it was the only way 

 in which the job could be accomplished. In my notebook, page 

 was added to page and one notebook followed another. Investigat- 

 ing the winter life of the whooping crane meant a great deal more 

 than simply watching the activities and the behavior of the birds 

 themselves. Those activities were only the signposts that pointed 

 to the interrelated patterns of the entire environment. Maps were 

 studied, the influence of winds and tides checked, marine animals 

 were collected and their identity, relative numbers, size, apparent 

 age and sex considered under one set of conditions and then under 

 another. With planned patience we sometimes waited weeks for 

 anticipated conditions to appear. Besides calculating the probable 

 food of the cranes by direct observation, and by examination of 

 areas in which they had recently been feeding, we followed Steven- 

 son's example and collected as many specimens of their droppings 

 as could be found and unquestionably identified. All of these 

 were carefully preserved and shipped to Fran Uhler at the Fish 

 and Wildlife food habits laboratory outside of Washington. 

 Uhler's expert analysis of the contents down to such minute 

 items as the highly chitinized mandibles of tiny annelid worms! 

 were our final and most definite clue to actual food preferences. 



Of course there were other fields to plow, and in addition to 



