BIRDS OF PEASEMARSH 



come to the shore now resort to the sheltered 

 bay. 



"What good are they if they are to be pro- 

 tected so you cannot shoot them?" is a ques- 

 tion frequently asked. Those who take no 

 pleasure in the homeward flight of the weary 

 travellers that have covered thousands of miles 

 exposed to every danger, should consider the 

 history of the birds. When the white man 

 first came they were everywhere. When 

 Montreal was but a group of huts, the little 

 Ville-de-Montreal, it was but a few minutes' 

 walk to flocks of innumerable numbers of 

 Ducks. This was what the white man found 

 when he came. Has he any right to wipe them 

 out of existence so that his children and his 

 children's children will never see them? He 

 has gone a long way towards wiping them out 

 already, and each year they are growing still 

 less. It is time to let the wild Duck migrate 

 and nest in safety. To the success of the pro- 

 tection of the sanctuaries depends the increase 

 here, for men who do not need them for food 

 will gain access to their haunts and disregard 

 any laws limiting the number allowed each 

 hunter. 



[142] 



