24 SAFE AND ATTRACTIVE PRESERVES 



large piece of water, but I am strongly of the opinion 

 that birds do better on a good sized stretch of water 

 with a stream running into it and out of it. Given these 

 advantages, the running water must be constantly 

 bringing a fresh supply of food, especially after a fall of 

 rain sufficiently heavy to cause a rise of water; further, 

 if the stream which runs out of our lake empties itself 

 into a large river the latter will, when it floods or rises, 

 rapidly cause our strearh to back up and bring in a 

 further supply of food from the main river. The supply 

 of fresh food is a gratifying source of economy to the 

 grain bill. 



Mr. L. H. De Visme Shaw, in a book on "Wild Fowl," 

 says : "The pieces of water one proposes to convert into 

 duck ponds should be as near the middle of the shoot 

 as possible; the distance separating them from each 

 other should preferably be not less than half a mile. 

 The larger they are the better. Their situation must be 

 so far isolated that there is no risk of the birds being 

 disturbed. 



"There may be a stream running through the shoot, 

 or there may be ponds or springs suitably situated. In 

 the former case dams can be built to hold up a body of 

 water sufficient to last through any spell of drought 

 during which the stream may run dry. The possibility 

 of water giving out during a dry season must always be 

 one of the first considerations, this possibility being 

 obviated by efficient puddling." 



I have seen several thousand ducks which were 

 successfully reared about some very small artificial 

 ponds on an American preserve, and I have also seen a 

 good lot of ducks which were reared on a quail preserve, 



