60 ADAPTATION OF FOODS TO SOIL, ETC. 
but they soon diminish in numbers and drift off to 
other more congenial feeding grounds, whose richness 
speedily attracts them. 
Always try to get the three principal grounds, viz., 
roosting, playing and feeding. If all are not obtain- 
able, try a feeding and roosting, or a play and a feed- 
ing ground, taking care that they lie far enough apart 
that the shooting near one ground will not scare the 
birds or conflict with the requirements of the other. 
The proper distance is between half or three-quarters 
of a mile, more or less, as the area of the water pro- 
vides; possibly some arms of the lake or slough, hid- 
den from view by a heavy growth of rice or canes, 
might be conducive to good results. Ascertain 
whether divers or non-divers could feed on any of the 
various parts; possibly both might be accommodated. 
Examine the bottom of the lake carefully, both in 
deep and shallow water, to find if the soil would be 
adapted to the particular bulb, root, plant or seed you 
wish to sow or plant, which would prove alluring to 
the kind of ducks you seek to attract. 
Attention should be given to the sowing or plant- 
ing of the edges of ditches, channels and the margins 
of all lakes or sloughs, ponds, etc., with a growth of 
rushes, cattails, horsetails, wild rice and barley, reeds, 
canes, etc., not only for cover, but to protect the birds 
from heavy winds and storms which invariably drive 
ducks from open water to seek shelter. Wild rice 
makes an excellent cover, beside affording the blos- 
som, which is eagerly sought by the woodduck, as 
well as the seeds; the roots also form a mat where 
moss can obtain a foothold and attract Wilson’s snipes 
