in the Hudson Bay Lowlands to provide data for regulating kill not only in Ontario 

 but throughout the Mississippi Flyway. The reliability of the information obtained 

 from these surveys for Canada geese is still questionable and undoubtedly further 

 research is needed. The main difficulty arises from our inability to accurately 

 determine from year to year the proportions of non-breeding birds summering in 

 northern Ontario. Extension of production data, based on brood size per nesting 

 pair, to the Mississippi Flyway flock as a whole becomes extremely tenuous because 

 of this. Nevertheless, such production figures are the best available at the present 

 time and have contributed to the improved management of the geese of this Flyway 

 in recent years. 



The main nesting colony of snow geese in Ontario, in the vicinity of Cape 

 Henrietta Maria, is estimated to contain about 20,000 birds during the summer. 

 There are also indications from recent surveys that new colonies are being estab- 

 lished along Hudson Bay west of Fort Severn. Plans are being made to band the 

 birds of the Cape Henrietta Maria colony to ascertain their contribution to the 

 kill at goose hunting camps now operated by Indian bands at several locations on 

 Hudson and James Bays. 



Wildlife Diseases and Parasites 



In conjunction with a continuing survey of the diseases and parasites of wild- 

 life, the staff of this program provides a diagnostic service to field staff, and through 

 them to the public. During the year, 90 specimens from 27 species of wildlife were 

 autopsied as part of this service. In addition, 257 identifications of 10 kinds of 

 diseases and parasites in 9 species of wildlife were made by field staff on the basis 

 of information contained in the "Manual of Common Parasites, .Diseases and 

 Anomalies of Wildlife in Ontario". This manual had been issued to 252 members 

 of the field staff the previous year with the request to return data on the occurrence 

 of diseases and parasites at the end of each year. Data were obtained from 93% 

 of the recipients and these are now being compiled to expand our knowledge of 

 wildlife pathology throughout the Province. 



In addition, 1145 mink from 22 Forest Districts were examined to establish 

 the incidence and distribution of kidney worms in mink. As in previous years, 

 the highest incidence of occurrence (47%) was in Parry Sound District. Results of 

 this study will be reported in the forthcoming year. 



Rabies research was continued and the King Township project, which 

 attempted to relate population characteristics of red foxes with rabies incidence, 

 neared completion. Statistics on rabies occurrence throughout Ontario, from data 

 supplied by the Health of Animals Branch, Canada Department of Agriculture, 

 were published and circulated monthly. Close liaison was maintained with 

 Connaught Medical Laboratories and Federal and Provincial departments to 

 develop an integrated approach to the rabies problem in the Province. 



Big Game 



As part of the research on deer, staff members operated checking stations in 

 North and South Canonto Townships of Tweed District and co-operated with 

 District staffs on checking stations at Pakesley (Parry Sound) and Kennisis Lake 

 (Lindsay). Sex, age, weight, body measurements, date of kill and other data were 

 recorded for approximately 520 deer. Hunting pressure on deer herds was also 



260 



