12 BULLETIN 793, U. S. DEPAKTMEN-T OF AGRICULTUEE. 



Various suggestions have been made to combat this trouble but none 

 is at all efficacious. Some persons, supposing that the birds swallowed 

 the shot because of a lack of gravel on their feeding ground, have 

 proposed supplying grit and sand in the marshes in the belief 

 that the birds would use this and not eat the shot. As has been said 

 before, ducks in feeding seem to swallow any small, hard objects that 

 they encounter, so that such supplies of gravel would be of no aid in 

 preventing lead poisoning. It has also been suggested that the mud 

 flats be harrowed in some way to cause the shot to sink beyond reach. 

 This, however, would be of no avail, as ducks in feeding often dig in 

 soft mud to a depth of 12 to 16 inches. 



Statistics on the number and species of birds affected by lead 

 poisoning from eating pellets of shot will be of interest, and it is 

 hoped that sportsmen and others will report cases that come to their 

 attention. There can be no doubt that the trouble is found in many 

 extensive marsh areas throughout the United States in addition to 

 those mentioned in this report. 



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