Relatively little is known of Herbert Gardner's life, as he escapes mention in major biographical or bibliographical references. He writes of coming from New England and residing in Colorado Springs, Colorado, later in life. Apparently he must have been of some means as he traveled widely to hunt. In his Preface he writes that during 56 years afield he pursued mammals, ranging from rabbits to bison, and birds, ranging from sandpipers to wild turkeys. He was particularly interested in the deadly ingestion of lead shot pellets by ducks feeding on the marsh bottom. The "professor" also investigated the cause of "duck sickness," a malady that in some summers killed tens of thousands of ducks on the Bear River marshes.--Henry M. Reeves.