THE OOLOGIST 25 
The Domestication of American 
Wild Fowl, 
Upon the discovery of America, vast 
uncounted herds of bison roamed at 
will over the middle parts of the con- 
tinent. The Great Auk, the Labra- 
dor Duck, and the Eskimo Curlew 
were in multitudes along the East 
shore of our continent. The Califor- 
nia Condor soared in majestic cir- 
cles and in great numbers over the 
mountains of the Pacific slope and un- 
numbered millions of Passenger Pig- 
eons migrated in flocks, darkening the 
sun for days at a time; and the beau- 
tiful colors of the Carolina Paraquet 
were an everyday sight throughout 
most of the Eastern half of what is 
now the United States. But they are 
gone. 
The Great Auk and the Labrador 
Duck are known only from a few, very 
few specimens preserved in Museums; 
the Eskimo Curlew and the Condor are 
on the verge of extinction; and a last 
effort is now being made to discover 
whether or not the Passenger Pigeon 
is or is not, and the Carolina Paraquet 
is not. 
One of the wonders of the early day 
was the enormous flocks of wild fowl 
frequenting all the known waters of 
North America. Vast countless multi- 
tudes winged their way from the South 
to the North and back to the South 
again annually. Ducks, geese, and 
swan were a staple source of meat 
supply. Their nests were everywhere. 
The din of their vast congregations 
in the Spring and Fall at places could 
be heard for miles. The thunder of 
their wings as they rose from marsh, 
lake and river was like the roar of a 
distant train. They too are rapidly 
going. 
“The Illinois River, one of the very 
great migration highways in an early 
time, was noted for the vast numbers 
of wild fowl passing along during 
Spring and Fall migration. In one 
day long years ago the writer counted 
flocks of wild fowl flying along the 
Easterly side of the Illinois valley 
more than two miles from the river, 
which were estimated to contain $15,- 
000 birds passing a given point in ten 
hours. Today, these flocks are nearly 
gone. Where formerly there were 
a thousand ducks, today there are not 
over a hundred. Where formerly there 
were a thousand swan, today there is 
perhaps one, Where formerly there 
was a flock of geese, now there is oc- 
ecasionally a pair. The ultimate result 
is not far to see. Unless something 
is done to preserve the wild fowl of 
North American continent, they too 
will soon be a thing of the past. What 
is to he done? 
Protection will not do it; it willhelp; 
it will pcstpone the inevitable, but the 
inevitable will come; that inevitable 
when there is no wild fowl, unless 
scmething is done; something beside 
protection, Game protection as now 
practiced is mere cr less GL a farce. 
To preserve a duck or a goose or any 
other bird fcr six. months in order 
that you may kill it at the end of the 
six months, does not tend to perman- 
ently increase the supply. Yet it is far 
petter than nothing. The longer the 
ultimate destruction of our wild fowl 
is postponed, the better it will be for 
us. : 
Realizing this fact, the writer for 
many years has been experimenting 
in the domestication of our native 
wild fowl, both ducks and geese. It 
has now got to where it is a fad; 
particularly in the eastern part of the 
country where the wild fowl are now 
all but extinct, for the wealthier to lay 
out their places with landscape gard- 
eners, build pools and ponds, minature 
lakes and brooks, and stock them with 
North American ducks and geese for 
