Hamilton Mack Laing's specimen of a whooping crane, Grus americana

Hamilton Mack Laing, a hunter-naturalist, taught in rural schools in southwestern Manitoba, Canada, from 1901 to 1911. He collected a whooping crane ( Grus americana) near Whitewater Lake in 1905, which he later regretted when the species's decline and rarity were becoming recognized. Although suggested otherwise, there is no evidence that Laing collected more than one whooping crane.