178 



THE GAME BREEDER 



such number of wardens as is necessary to to see you next week and will go over the 



watch after and protect the game upon such detaiU of thi§ and other matters> 

 lands from unauthorized hunters, and will u p V Tr> 



further cause the lands to be posted as re- rlERBERT K. JOB. 



quired by the State law. West Haven, Conn._ 



GAME , ASSOCIATION,. A t ~ 



Ants Eggs. 



y President. Dr. Herbert K. Job, the author of 



Attest: "Propagation of Wild Birds," advertised 



— ■ ■ on another page, says : Another useful 



Secretary. early food is the commercial dried ants' 



eggs. There may be some question as 



to just how much nourishment these real- 



— ly contain. At any rate, the young birds 

 Duck Trouble. are f ond f them, and they are supposed 

 Editor Game Breeder : to supply an element of insect food. Be- 

 About this disease — it is a good de- ing rather expensive, they would not be 

 scription of roup. A consignment of practicable for large flocks of young 

 gray partridges once came to Storrs, pheasants, but for a moderate number 

 when I was conducting experimental of little quails or grouse they are very 

 work there, in just that condition. useful. They are purchased from deal- 

 It is a disease which originates in un- ers and should be scalded and fed moist, 

 clean conditions, and is contagious or in- once a day. 



f ectious. Moreover, it is usually fatal, if Who knows how to gather and prepare 



allowed to get well started. I will be in these? 



WILD RICE. 



By W. L. McAtee. 



Wild rice (Zisania palustris and 

 Zizania aquatic a)* in every stage of its 

 growth is eaten by one or another of the 

 North American ducks and geese, and 

 practically all of them feed on its rip- 

 ened grain. It is the staple fall food of 

 many ducks in the numerous rice 

 marshes of the eastern part of the 

 United States. Ducks obtain seeds 

 mainly from the bottom in shallow water 

 where they have fallen into a bed of 

 soft muck to await germination. Ger- 

 mination is often so delayed that grain 

 may sprout at any time up to at least 

 18 months after ripening. This accounts 

 for the fact that young shoots and ger- 

 minating seeds of wild rice are found 

 in ducks' stomachs at practically all sea- 

 sons. The shoots are devoured by many 

 species; the flowers have been found in 

 the wood duck's stomach; and the stems 

 and leaves of the mature plants are eaten 



by geese. According to present informa- 

 tion the mallard appears to eat the larg- 

 est percenage of wild rice, more than a 

 sixth of its annual food being rice. The 

 black duck and the wood duck rank next 

 as consumers of wild rice, but several 

 other species take noteworthy quantities. 

 Description of Plant. 



Wild rice is a tall, roond-stemmed 

 grass with long, flat, pointed leaves (fig. 

 1 ) . The stem is hollow, but is furnished 

 with transverse partitions between as 

 well as at the joints. These partitions 

 may be seen when the stem is cut length- 



*For a fuller account of wild rice the reader 

 is referred to the following publications^ the 

 Bureau of Plant Industry, from which many of 

 the details here given are taken : Wild Rice : 

 Its Uses and Propagation (Bulletin 50, 1903) ; 

 The Salt Water Limits of Wild Rice (Bulletin 

 72, Part II, 190S) ; The Storage and Germina- 

 tion of Wild Rice Seed (Bulletin 90, Part I, 

 1905). 





