S.WlXc; TlIK DL'CKS AXU GKESK 



;5i)l 



tially excavated, it became apparent that 

 the small building in the southwest cor- 

 ner — /. c, Structure li — belonged to an 

 earlier epoch than the imposing temi)le 

 which towered above it. Indeed. Struc- 

 ture 15 is almost entirely surrounded by 

 the platform of the larger building, which 

 indicates that it was already standing 

 when the foundations of Temple A were 

 laid. This ap])ears very clearly in the 

 illustrations on pages 357 and 358. where 

 Temple A is seen to be on top of the 

 terrace built around Structure J'>. Ex- 

 cept that it was erected at some time 

 prior to Katun 1 ij ( the date inscribed 

 on Temple A), no definite conclusion as 

 to the age of Structure B can be reached. 



However, since the very earliest date 

 at Quirigiia only jjrecedes Katun ig by 

 87 years, it is probable that Structure B 

 was built some time during the century 

 preceding Katun 19. or during the period 

 ..UO-540 A. D. 



The excavation and rei)air of the two 

 buildings above described constituted the 

 work of the present year at Quirigua. 

 When these ancient structures were 

 finally uncovered, it was found necessary 

 to make extensive repairs in order to 

 preserve them from speedv deterioration 

 and decay. 



The building stones had to be relaid 

 in concrete and the walls plumbed and 



finished oft' with a waterproof cap of 

 cement to shed the enormous annual rain- 

 fall. These permanent improvements 

 however, neces.sarily consumed much 

 time, and scarcely had been brought to 

 a close before the rainy season set in. 

 putting a sto]) to all work, excavation as 

 well as repair. 



Till-; ki;.\i, WORK yet to be done 



So far as the possibilities of the site 

 are concerned, the ground at Quirigua 

 may be regarded as having been little 

 more than scratched. The temple court 

 alone has four other buildings surround- 

 ing it, to sa\- nothing of the remaining 

 courts and plazas of the city. 



It is the purpose of the School of 

 American Archeology to continue exca- 

 vations here until an exhaustive stud\ of 

 the site has been made: for only through 

 systematic investigations extending <)\er 

 a nunil)er of years can these great centers 

 of the ?klaya civilization be made to tell 

 their interesting story and contribute 

 their quota to the record of man's prog- 

 ress and development. 



^^eanwhile. in the deep twilight of a 

 tropical jungle the crumbling remains of 

 this once proud city lie forgotten, its 

 builders unknown, and its very name lost 

 in oblivion — a melancholy commentary on 

 its vanished glorv. 



SAVING THE DUCKS AND GEESE 



By Wells W. Cooke 



BiOEOGiCAi. SiRxEv, U. S. Dei'aktmext of Agriculture 



Author of "Birds that I'ly from Pole to Pole." in the Xational Geographic 



Maciacinc 



WHEX the first settlers came to 

 the United States they found 

 the country teeming with wa- 

 terfowl ; the district along the Atlantic 

 coast seemed to have an inexhaustible 

 supply of ducks and geese. Ikit in later 

 years, when emigrants pushed westward 

 and crossed the Mississippi, they discov- 

 ered that the flocks of the coast were as 

 nothing to the countless thn^ngs that 



passed each spring and fall over the 

 Western prairies. 



The younger generation living toda\ 

 in Towa and Wisconsin can have no idea 

 of the abundance of ducks and geese 

 found there 50 years ago. at which date 

 their original innnbers had been scarcely 

 diminished. 



Ducks and geese are by nature prairie, 

 marsh, and swamp-breeding birds. .V 



