BOARD OF GAME AND FISH COMMISSIONERS 
61 
Considered collectively, the members of this family are of more than usual value 
economically because they are an important food and sport asset and because it has 
been shown of late that many species feed extensively upon injurious insects and 
also that by consuming enormous quantities of aquatic sedges, grasses and other 
plants, they keep in check a too luxuriant growth of such vegetation that otherwise 
would tend to choke ponds, lakes and sluggish water-ways. The enormous falling 
off in numbers of these birds in recent years is, therefore, in more ways than one 
a deplorable situation. It is hoped that our new continent-wide legislation in force 
since the consumation of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act may operate to restore 
something like old conditions. 
The following sketch, prepared in 1898 at the request of the writer of this 
paper, bv Thomas Miller, who from 1883 on, lived for many years on “Miller’s 
Point,’’ Heron Lake, is of historic value in connection with the duck tribe in Min¬ 
nesota and will probably be of interest to sportsmen who have been acquainted 
with that famous water bird rendezvous of recent years. Miller was a canny 
Scotchman, rough of exterior, uncultured and untutored, but self-educated to a sur¬ 
prising extent. In the earlier days of his residence at the lake he combined market 
hunting with his farm duties. He was fairly well acquainted with the water 
birds from books as well as in the field. In later years he became a bird student, 
reported each year to the Biological Survey at Washington and did very little 
hunting. He was of great service to the writer on his earlier trips to Heron 
Lake. Lie was killed by being thrown from his wagon on October 7, 1899. 
“Heron Lake, once one of the most famous lakes for wild fowl in Minnesota, 
lies partly in the townships of Weimar, Heron Lake and West Heron, Jackson 
County. It runs in a southeasterly and northwesterly direction, measuring from 
the head of Duck Lake—its northwestern end—to its southeastern end near Lake- 
field, nearly fourteen miles. It is bordered nearly its whole length in Weimar 
Township by extensive marshes once the home of vast numbers of Blue-winged 
Teal, Mallard, Gadwall, etc. In early times this was the nesting place of a con¬ 
siderable number of Trumpeter Swans, one pair breeding there as late as 1883. 
Heron Lake is remarkable for the many varieties of water-fowl frequenting its 
waters, practically all kinds common to inland waters being found here. A day’s 
shooting often consists of ten to eleven different species. Fifteen years ago when I 
first settled on the shores of Lleron Lake its waters teemed with vast numbers of 
ducks and geese, sleep some nights being impossible, owing to their continual clamor. 
The honking of Canada Geese, the mewing call of Canvas-back, Redhead and 
Blue-bill, usually uttered while feeding, mingled with the whistling call of Pin¬ 
tail and Widgeon, mixed with the hoarse quacking of Mallards and the more 
feeble call of Gadwall, made a strange medly of sounds. The water, the first 
spring I lived here, came up to within twenty-five yards of the house and during 
March until the migrants moved on north we had a concert every night. When 
day broke a sight was to be seen that would have made a sportman’s heart thrill 
with delight. On the north was a bend of the lake running west about three 
quarters of a mile where it made a turn north toward the C. St. P. M. and O. Rv. 
making a sheet of water two and one-half miles from north to south by one and 
one-half miles east and west. To the east lay a large marsh full of rushes, sedges 
and canes with water about three and a half to four feet deep in the center. 
Further east lay the main lake or clear water. On the north large flocks of Blue- 
