THE DUCK SICKNESS IN UTAH. 

 Table I. — Record of ducks treated. 



21 



Species. 



Number 

 treated. 



Died. 



Recovered. 



Number. 



Percent. 



Number. 



Per cent. 



rreen- winged teal 



604 

 361 

 112 

 62 

 43 

 15 

 14 



151 



84 

 21 

 13 



9 

 2 

 4 



25 

 23 



1!) 

 21 

 21 

 13 

 28 



453 

 277 

 91 

 49 

 34 

 13 

 10 





'intail 





f allard 



81 

 79 

 79 

 87 

 72 



Ipoonbill 



!innamon teal 



Vidgeon 



lad wall 



Total 





1,211 



284 



23 



927 



77 







Green-winged teal show a low percentage of recovery, but this 

 nay be explained by the fact that few of those most severely affected 

 •ecovered. Among mallards and pintails many individuals are 

 dlled by lead poison due to eating shot; these have been eliminated 

 rom the table. Besides the species enumerated in the table a certain 

 lumber of redheads are affected, but these seldom recover. This 

 nay be attributed to the circumstance that nearly all are young 

 Dirds that have no reserves of fat to sustain them during the period 

 vhen they can not feed. 



In the three marsh systems in Utah in which birds are affected a 

 small number of men can care for the sick ducks with little trouble. 

 3n both the Jordan and Weber River areas artesian water is available. 

 3n Bear River recourse must be had to the water in the main river, 

 which, while far from fresh, has proved pure enough for practical 

 use. By experiment it was found that the water served for this 

 purpose in the channels far down toward the bays as long as it was 

 Bowing steadily. In fact, many sick birds congregate in the lower 

 parts of the overflows, and there is no question that a large number of 

 these recover naturally. 



The sick birds brought in to the laboratory were confined in pens 

 placed at the river's edge, half on land and half in water, where the 

 water at the lower end of the pens was not more than 18 inches deep. 

 These pens were built 6 feet wide, 12 feet long, and 4 feet high. 

 The framework was made of two by fours, save along the bottom, 

 where one by four material was used. An 18-inch door was placed 

 in the shore end. This frame was covered with wire netting on 

 sides, top, and bottom. To confine the larger ducks, 2-inch mesh 

 wire was used. For teal it was found necessary to use wire with 

 1-inch mesh, as many individuals were able to escape through wire 

 with a larger opening. When the wire resting on shore did not 

 sink in the mud it was covered lightly with salt grass or rushes to 

 give the ducks a comfortable resting place and to protect their feet. 

 Pens of this size are handled by two men without much trouble and 

 may be moved back and forth as the river rises and falls. Larger 



