THE DECREASE OF GAME BIRDS 15 



there were many square miles of water pest, elodea, and 

 extensive areas of water celery, vallisneria. The latter 

 is the favorite food of the red-head and the canvas- 

 back duck. The only fish observed were numerous 

 small minnows, wherever the weeds left enough clear 

 water for them to swim about in. 



The changes in the level of the lake were principally 

 produced by corresponding changes in the supply of 

 rain and snow. 



The above sketch proves that a sufficient water 

 supply will insure a sufficient food supply for aquatic 

 birds ; and if they are not hunted in spring, and not 

 hunted too much in fall, ducks at least are likely to be 

 numerous wherever natural conditions favor them. 

 Geese, cranes, swans, and pelicans are so large and 

 conspicuous that they always attract attention and are 

 disturbed. Thus they become very wild and wary, and 

 leave settled regions. 



If large birds were not so thoughtlessly persecuted, 

 they would become accustomed to live and breed in 

 settled regions, so that nearly everybody would have 

 an opportunity to observe such as Canada geese, loons, 

 and herons in their natural environments. This is 

 proved by the state of semi-domestication in which the 

 white stork lives in Germany and in other countries. 

 The bird is about as large as our great blue heron and 

 is very conspicuously colored, but as it is not molested 

 by the people, it builds its nest on the roofs of houses 

 and other buildings, and hunts frogs, lizards, and 

 snakes on the village meadows, and fishes in the 



