Ding's Ducks

Sportsmen who last week examined the new $1 Federal Duck Stamp, which every U. S. duckhunter must henceforth paste on his hunting license, recognized a familiar touch. About the size of a special delivery stamp, it showed a male and female mallard coming to rest on some marshland. It was drawn by one of the nation's best cartoonists and its first anseriformiphile, Jay Norwood ("Ding") Darling, who last March became chief of the Agriculture Department's Bureau of Biological Survey (TIME, March 26). Postoffice officials expect it to become a collectors' item.

Perhaps prophetically, the stamp ducks look a little plumper than the ones which "Ding" used to put in his conservation-propagandizing cartoons. He hopes the proceeds from the stamp sale will help fatten all the wild ducks in the land. Said he last week: "No one is under any obligation to kill a duck just because he owns a Federal hunting stamp, nor is there any rule to prevent a man who wants to help restore the migratory waterfowl from purchasing several of these duck-saving stamps. Every dollar will be devoted to the cause of conservation."

Conservationists expect the stamps to yield between $600,000 and $1,000,000 yearly for use in buying submarginal farm lands, turning them into duck refuges. Already appropriated for that purpose are $8,500,000 of Federal relief funds.

Last week Secretary Wallace took another step toward duck conservation when he indicated that he would approve the Migratory Bird Treaty Act Advisory Board's recommendations for this year's hunting season. Most important duck-saving clauses: 1) Prohibition of baiting of ducks in the vicinity of shooting stands. 2) A 30-day shooting season (half that of last year) for each state, to fall between Oct. 1 and Jan. 15.

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