Page 340 - Our Vanishing Wild Life

318 OUR VANISHING WILD LIFE
the pages of "Recreation Magazine" in June, 1903, when that publi- cationwaseditedbyG.O.Shields. Thearticlewasentitled,—"AHaven of Refuge," and the place described well deserved the name. It is im- possible for me to impress upon the readers of this volume with sufficient force and clearness the splendid success that is easily attainable in en- couraging the return of the birds. The story of the Mosca "Haven of Refuge" was so well told by Mr. Charles C. Townsend in the publication referred to above, that I take pleasure in reproducing it entire.
One mile north of the little village of Mosca, Colorado, in San Luis valley, lives the family of J. C. Gray. On the Gray ranch there is an artesian well which empties intoasmallpondabout100feetsquare. Thispondisneverentirelyfrozenoverand the water emptying therein is warm even during the coldest winter.
Some five years ago, Mr. Gray secured a few wild-duck eggs, and hatched them under ahen. Thelittleduckswererearedandfedonthelittlepond. Thefollowingspring they left the place, to return in the fall, bringing with them broods of young; also bring- ing other ducks to the home where protection was afforded them, and plenty of good feedwasprovided. Eachyearsince,theduckshavescatteredinthespringtomateand rear their families, returning again with greatly increased numbers in the fall, and again bringing strangers to the haven of refuge.
I drove out to the ranch November 24, 1902, and found the little pond almost black with the birds, and was fortunate enough to secure a picture of a part of the pond while theduckswerethicklygatheredthereon. Icehadformedaroundtheedges,andthis icewascoveredwithducks. Thewaterwasalsoalivewithothers,whichpaidnotthe least attention to the party of strangers on the shore.
From Mr. Gray I learned that there were some 600 ducks of various kinds on the pondatthattime,thoughitwasthenearlyforthemtoseekwinterquarters. Laterin the year, he assured me, there would be betweeen 2,000 and 3,000 teal, mallards, canvas- backs,redheadsandothervarieties,allperfectlyathomeandfearlessofdanger. The family have habitually approached the pond from the house, which stands on the south side, and should any person appear on the north side of the pond the ducks immediately take fright and flight. Wheat was strewn on the ground and in the water, and the ducks waddled around us within a few inches of our feet to feed, paying not the least attention to us, or to the old house-dog which walked near.
Six miles east of the ranch is San Luis lake, to which these ducks travel almost daily whilethelakeisopen. Whentheyareatthelakeitisimpossibletoapproachwithin gunshotofthethentimidbirds. Someunsympatheticboysandmenhavelearnedthe habit of the birds, and place themselves in hiding along the course of flight to and from thelake. Manyducksareshotinthisway,butwoetothepersoncaughtfiringagun onornearthehome-pond. Whenawayfromhome,thebirdsareasotherwild-ducks andfailtorecognizeanymembersoftheGrayfamily. Whileathometheyfollowthe boys around the barn-yard, squawking for feed like so many tame ducks.
This is the greatest sight I have ever witnessed, and one that I could not believe existed until I had seen it. Certainly it is worth travelling many miles to see, and no one, after seeing it, would care to shoot birds that, when kindly treated, make such charming pets.
Since the above was published, the protected flocks of tame wild ducks have become one of the most interesting sights of Florida. At Palm Beach the tameness of the wild ducks when within their protected area, and their wildness outside of it, has been witnessed by thousands of visitors.
The Saving of the Snowy Egret in the United States.—The time was when very many persons believed that the devastations of the