220 THE IMPORTANCE OF BIRD LIFE 



longevity of the species was threatened. To-day 

 auks, murres, and even cormorants do not number 

 one tenth what they did a century ago ; the Labra- 

 dor duck, partly through the efforts of egg 

 hunters, is now extinct^ and the eider-duck no 

 longer breeds in great rookeries along the Labra- 

 dor coast. Instead of boldly constructing their 

 nests in the open as was their ancient custom, 

 these birds now rear their broods surreptitiously 

 in tall patches of grass or upon rocky ledges in- 

 accessible to men. 



The same fate has befallen the gull, tern, 

 and heron rookeries of the southern Atlantic and 

 Gulf coasts of the United States. Only forty 

 years ago vessels were specially outfitted for raids 

 on the sandy islands off the shores of Virginia and 

 the Carolinas. In Texas, during the nesting sea- 

 son, every boat on the coast, large and small, 

 gathered at the rookeries. 



The procedure of the collectors in those days 

 was identical with the procedure employed every- 

 where else. The first step upon arriving at the 

 breeding-grounds was to destroy every egg in 

 sight. The birds thereupon laid fresh ones, and 

 these were gathered every second day until the 

 laying ceased. No thought was given to conser- 

 vation or protection of the creatures that were 

 responsible for the eggs. These were merely 

 picked up as long as there were any to pick up. 

 The result was that the birds could not rear suffi- 



