WATERFOWL IN NEBRASKA. 5 
breeding grounds, although the other groups of lakes already men- 
tioned, as well as many scattered bodies of water throughout the 
entire sandhill region, form the breeding ground for comparatively 
large numbers of birds. The settling up of this region opened the 
lakes to sportsmen, and they have made good use of their oppor- 
tunity. Other things being equal, water birds do not thrive in 
thickly settled sections, and with the laying out of the country into 
farms they have a natural tendency to disappear, owing to the drain- 
ing of the lakes and the elimination of their breeding grounds, and 
also to frequent disturbances during the breeding season. Therefore, 
one can not reasonably expect large numbers of resident ducks in a 
thickly settled farming region, for their protection becomes mor© 
difficult with the increase of population. 
In the sandhill region the early settlements were made chiefly 
by cattlemen, who took large holdings, and not until the Kinkaid 
law went into effect was there much general addition to the inhabi- 
tants. This law permitted the homesteading of an entire section of 
land after only three years' residence, and resulted in the taking up 
of practically all the land in this region, as well as in a great 
increase of population. A continued increase in the population 
would seriously menace the future of the breeding waterfowl in this 
region. Only a very small proportion of the land, however, is 
suitable for farming, but it all is an ideal cattle range, since tho 
sandhills afford good pasture and the hay meadows of the valleys 
furnish an abundance of winter feed. Thus, not only is the small 
landholder usually unable to make a living at farming, but his 
holdings are likewise too small to make stock raising profitable. 
Consequently, he is sooner or later constrained to sell out and 
move elsewhere. From this cause title to the land is gradually 
drifting into the hands of the large landholders, who in a compara- 
tively short time will probably obtain control of the entire area 
available for grazing in the sandhills. It naturally follows that 
the population during the past few years has been growing smaller, 
and will probably still further decrease ; and as the land is not so fit 
for anything as for stock raising, it is not likely that much change in 
this respect will take place in the future. Thus a possible menace to 
waterfowl in a great increase of human population is definitely and 
doubtless permanently removed. Furthermore, there is here practi- 
cally no danger of the destruction of the grass from overstocking 
of the grazing ranges. 
In some places, however, other difficulties of greater or less moment 
are arising. At the group of lakes in Brown County, where the 
character of the soil is considerably better for farming than in other 
parts of the sandhills, there is apparently a larger permanent popu- 
