CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME. 71 



The waterfowl are on their regular migration southward and, finding 

 the water and feed conditions favorable, they remain in the vicinity of 

 the rice fields until driven south by lack of water, feed, and by weather 

 conditions. Probably two-thirds of all the ducks in California are 

 centered in the rice-growing area. The rice grower has a remedy at 

 hand, but it must be used by concerted action on- the part of all the 

 growers, or the grower who does not co-operate will be the only sufferer. 



It is known that for some reason ducks, mudhens and blackbirds attack 

 certain rice fields while other rice fields are perfectly immune. Gingg 

 & Cooper were perhaps the greatest sufferers last season (1916), and 

 seeing the impossibility of obtaining relief by the use of smokeless 

 powder and shot, and also not wishing to bring down upon their heads 

 the state and federal officials, under whose jurisdiction the protection 

 of waterfowl now comes, sought assistance from the Fish and Game 

 Commission. 



After a number of experiments with rockets, bombs and other explo- 

 sives, a certain form of iDomb was selected to do the work. Mr. Cooper 

 ordered four dozen of these bombs at $5.00 per dozen, for use as an 

 experiment on his fields where the birds were most abundant. He fired 

 several bombs after dark, also at daylight, and two or three while the 

 birds Avere in the air. He did this for three days and nights, with the 

 result that there was a great decrease in the number of birds at every 

 shot. He met with such success that he ordered five dozen more as an 

 emergency. 



In an interview Avith j\Ir. Cooper on September 26 he authorized the 

 statement that there were no ducks or mudhens to be seen in his rice 

 fields; that he had not killed a bird. (Also supplemented this state- 

 ment later by saying that he had been unable to kill a duck on his land 

 after the open season because the ducks were afraid to come on his place. 

 Also that he had not used any quantity of the emergency purchase of 

 five dozen bombs). 



Certainly these birds were somewhere in the vicinity. Now, if there 

 is co-operation among the rice growers to use these bombs simultaneously 

 on the rice fields, the birds will leave for new grounds and will be driven 

 to the overflow tule lands, where they will remain, unless forced by 

 hunters to return to the rice fields, ivJiicli will occur if the open season 

 is made at an earlier date than now, as is proposed hy some. 



Many rice groAvers claim that at certain stages of growing rice, under 

 certain conditions, the ducks are injurious to growing rice. Others deny 

 this statement and say that while the ducks do injure the rice they are 

 very beneficial to them, as they eat quantities of Avater grass and other 

 noxious weed seeds. Be that as it may, the greatest hue and cry is made 

 by the man AA^ho has no rice and because he can not Avait for the open 

 season on these birds. A number of such men were arrested this season 

 while shooting ducks in closed season and not one of them owned an 

 acre of rice. The rice grower will not permit trespassing on his fields at 

 groAving time. 



President NcAvbert states that the Fish and Game Connnission Avishes 

 to co-operate Avith the farmers and agriculturists and Avill always render 

 them assistance in behalf of their great interests, but co-operation must 

 come from the really interested man and not from a certain element 

 whose only interest is to eat ducks before the season opens. 



