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 
