PLEASE REFER 
                          DUCK  t. &TO FILE NO. 
 
                                                ze          (CANADA) 
                            A Permanent Work in Sport and Conservation 
General Manager: 
T. C. MAIN, X.E.I.C.                              201 Bank of Commerce Chambers,

Asst. General Manager: 
E. S. RUSSENHOLT                                  Winnipeg, Manitoba, 
Chief Engineer:                                   December 29, 1942. 
G. R. FANSET, B.Sc.,C.E. 
Chief Naturalist: 
B. W. CARTWRIGHT 
 
 
          Professor Aldo Leopold, 
          424 University Faim Place, 
          MADISON, Wisconsin, U.S.A. 
 
          Dear Aldo: 
 
          I have yours of December22. As I have done a good deal of research
vmrk 
          in engineering matterboth for the Canadian National Railway and
in 
          collaboration with the American Railway Engineering Association,
I futlly 
          recognize the importance of independence both of personnel and
funds. 
          So you simply cannot get into an argument idth a on that soorel
It is 
          agreed between us tbat when the proper time comes to carry on research

          study on duck problems, funds should be made available without
strings 
          attached to them and an independent board must pass on the problems
to be 
          studied and the results of observations. 
 
          Our immediate problem, however, is a formula for carrying on the
Delta 
          duck work in wartime when it is extremely difficult to find the
proper 
          research personnel. It seems desirable to keep this work going
in order 
          to have a continuous record over a long period of years even if
we have to 
          wait for a year or more to write up such records and draw the proper

          cone lusions. 
 
          Al Hochbaum's services are required for maw other interesting jobs
during 
          1943; but even if he could be kept at Delta on independent research
there, 
          I do not think that would be satisfactory. The fact iS that keeping
a 
          man on one Job too long haas a narrowing effect on his wo rk. Hochbaum
will 
          be a much rnore competent observer if he spends a year or so visiting
a 
          hundred ducX breeding centres all over the northwest. You meybe
ixterested 
          to know that, some Cf 'te conclusions he has arrived at in Delta
are not 
          true wh en applied to saa othe; marsh a th asand miles away. *
br exemple, 
          at the Netley marshes we find that the Redhead duck malas a very
fine mother 
          and alw rs looks after heryamng; while at Kazan Lake, 700 miles
to the 
          northwest where Redheads breed freely, our very competent observer
there, 
          Tom Randall, never saw a Redhead with her own brood all summer.
our 
          conclusions at Netley were that t1e Redhead was a fine mother,
while at 
          Kazan we agreed that she was the poorest mother cf all the ducks.

 
          The fact is that our respective reasons for research are slightly
different* 
          Your objective is to find cuat the facts and publish them for the
MDrld; 
          while our reason is to find cut the facts aid use them in our work*
We 
 
 
 
                   To Increase and Perpetuate the Supply of Ducks