Wild Fowl and Men 



275 



wintering grounds and expect to maintain a continuous sup- 

 ply of ducks sufficient to meet the demand? 



The pintails continued their feeding as I turned the canoe 

 toward the float. They will have flown before my next marsh 

 inspection. If things go well, next year some of them may 

 call again at about the same time of year and in the same 

 location. I wondered if I would ever fail to see these fine 

 birds among the marsh rushes. 



One of the factors needed to insure a continuous supply, 

 I thought, was to recognize the imperative need for a series 

 of "stepping stones," or as the air pilots would say, "refuel- 

 ing and regrouping bases," between the breeding and winter- 

 ing grounds. Regardless of their size, a combination of such 

 places would be of great value. 



Waterfowl can be perpetuated only if hunting controls 

 squarely meet the facts. This survival of the breeding stock 

 is of the first importance, I hope that the hunters and con- 

 servationists, whose ways are so different, but who are 

 equally interested in the long-range preservation of our wild 

 fowl, will take effective steps toward that end. Otherwise, a 

 series of those great natural catastrophes which sometimes 

 appear may attack the shrinking breeding stock and reduce 

 our wild fowl below the possibility of replacement. 



**£-\ 



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