﻿12 
  . 
  "FORTH 
  AMERICAN 
  DUCKS, 
  

  

  sport 
  and 
  for 
  the 
  table. 
  The 
  future 
  supply 
  must 
  come 
  from 
  isolated 
  

   pairs 
  and 
  small 
  colonies 
  scattered 
  in 
  favorable 
  localities 
  over 
  Canada 
  

   and 
  the 
  northern 
  quarter 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States. 
  Fortunately, 
  such 
  

   favorable 
  places 
  exist 
  and 
  will 
  continue 
  to 
  exist 
  for 
  many 
  years. 
  

  

  An 
  important 
  question 
  in 
  connection 
  with 
  the 
  protection 
  of 
  ducks 
  

   is 
  the 
  time 
  when 
  they 
  pair 
  for 
  the 
  breeding 
  season, 
  since 
  it 
  is 
  evident 
  

   that 
  if 
  shooting- 
  is 
  continued 
  after 
  the 
  birds 
  are 
  paired 
  a 
  decided 
  

   decrease 
  in 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  broods 
  will 
  result. 
  While 
  the 
  present 
  state 
  

   of 
  knowledge 
  does 
  not 
  warrant 
  positive 
  statements 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  exact 
  date 
  

   of 
  pairing 
  of 
  each 
  species, 
  enough 
  has 
  been 
  learned 
  to 
  show 
  that 
  in 
  the 
  

   case 
  of 
  many 
  species 
  pairing 
  occurs 
  before 
  the 
  breeding 
  grounds 
  are 
  

   reached. 
  Many 
  if 
  not 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  mallards 
  and 
  shovelers 
  that 
  pass 
  

   through 
  Illinois 
  on 
  their 
  way 
  to 
  more 
  northern 
  breeding 
  grounds 
  are 
  

   paired 
  before 
  they 
  leave 
  that 
  State, 
  and 
  the 
  same 
  is 
  true 
  of 
  these 
  

   species 
  in 
  Iowa. 
  Many 
  black 
  ducks, 
  wood 
  ducks, 
  and 
  teal 
  are 
  paired 
  

   in 
  the 
  spring 
  hy 
  the 
  time 
  they 
  reach 
  Massachusetts. 
  The 
  following 
  

   letter 
  from 
  Hon. 
  John 
  E. 
  Thayer 
  is 
  of 
  interest 
  in 
  this 
  connection: 
  

  

  I 
  am 
  absolutely 
  positive 
  that 
  mallards, 
  black 
  ducks, 
  gadwalls, 
  widgeons, 
  green- 
  

   winged 
  and 
  blue-winged 
  teal, 
  shovelers, 
  and 
  pintails 
  begin 
  mating 
  at 
  Currituck 
  

   Sound, 
  North 
  Carolina, 
  by 
  February 
  15. 
  By 
  the 
  1st 
  of 
  March 
  they 
  are 
  mated. 
  

   The 
  law 
  should 
  protect 
  them 
  then, 
  for 
  if 
  one 
  is 
  shot, 
  the 
  other 
  will 
  keep 
  flying 
  about 
  

   until 
  within 
  easy 
  range. 
  There 
  is 
  not 
  a 
  shadow 
  of 
  doubt 
  that 
  the 
  ducks 
  I 
  have 
  

   named 
  are 
  mated 
  before 
  they 
  migrate, 
  and 
  if 
  we 
  do 
  not 
  want 
  to 
  exterminate 
  them, 
  

   laws 
  should 
  protect 
  them 
  from 
  the 
  time 
  they 
  leave 
  the 
  South. 
  

  

  Above 
  have 
  been 
  outlined 
  the 
  causes, 
  past 
  and 
  present, 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  

   diminution 
  in 
  the 
  numbers 
  of 
  the 
  ducks. 
  The 
  practical 
  problem 
  of 
  

   to-day 
  is 
  the 
  present 
  and 
  future 
  preservation 
  of 
  the 
  remnant. 
  It 
  goes 
  

   without 
  saying 
  that 
  all 
  ducks 
  should 
  be 
  protected 
  during 
  the 
  breeding 
  

   season. 
  Notes 
  in 
  the 
  following 
  pages 
  under 
  the 
  different 
  species 
  show 
  

   the 
  dates 
  at 
  which 
  the 
  earliest 
  eggs 
  have 
  been 
  found, 
  and 
  from 
  these 
  

   dates 
  it 
  is 
  easy 
  to 
  determine 
  the 
  beginning 
  of 
  the 
  breeding 
  season. 
  

   The 
  wood 
  duck, 
  in 
  northern 
  Florida, 
  begins 
  nesting 
  by 
  the 
  middle 
  

   of 
  February 
  and 
  the 
  black 
  duck, 
  in 
  Massachusetts, 
  by 
  April 
  20. 
  It 
  

   follows, 
  therefore, 
  that 
  at 
  the 
  very 
  latest 
  these 
  ducks 
  should 
  not 
  be 
  

   disturbed 
  in 
  Florida 
  after 
  February 
  nor 
  in 
  Massachusetts 
  after 
  April 
  1. 
  

   These 
  dates 
  apply 
  to 
  corresponding 
  latitudes 
  in 
  the 
  Mississippi 
  Valley, 
  

   and 
  the 
  1st 
  of 
  May 
  would 
  be 
  the 
  latest 
  date 
  for 
  Minnesota 
  and 
  North 
  

   Dakota. 
  On 
  the 
  Pacific 
  slope 
  the 
  corresponding 
  nesting 
  dates 
  are 
  

   from 
  late 
  March 
  in 
  southern 
  California 
  to 
  late 
  April 
  in 
  the 
  State 
  of 
  

   Washington. 
  

  

  Protection 
  during 
  the 
  breeding 
  season 
  is 
  the 
  least 
  that 
  an}^ 
  friend 
  of 
  

   the 
  ducks 
  would 
  advise. 
  The 
  present 
  rapid 
  diminution 
  in 
  the 
  number 
  

   of 
  waterfowl 
  can 
  not 
  be 
  stayed, 
  however, 
  by 
  such 
  partial 
  measures. 
  

   Nothing 
  short 
  of 
  the 
  absolute 
  prohibition 
  of 
  spring 
  shooting 
  in 
  every 
  

   part 
  of 
  the 
  countn 
  T 
  should 
  be 
  advocated 
  by 
  those 
  who 
  believe 
  that 
  

   duck 
  shooting 
  should 
  be 
  enjoyed 
  by 
  future 
  generations. 
  

  

  