Tho pintail, gr eon-dinged teal, and shoveler accounted for most of the 

 gains. Geese in general showed a marked decrease, the lesser Canada 

 goose, which is the most common 3pecies on the northeastern coast of 

 Mexico, falling off at least 30 percent. Saunders concluded that "the 

 duck population of eastern Mexico this winter was 5,000,000 and prob- 

 ably even more." 



To work in western Mexioo, Goldman crossed the line at El Paso, 

 Tex,, early in November and spent most of the month investigating water- 

 fowl in Chihuahua and Coahuila, where there are several important lakes, 

 as the Laguna Enoinillas or Ojo de Agua, the Laguna de Bu3tillos, the 

 ponds and arroyos that make up the headwaters of the Rio Sacramento, and 

 the two Boquilla reservoirs that are formed by dams across the Rio Concho. 



While fair numbers of ducks, geese, and oranes were found, it appeared 

 that the waterfowl population was somewhat smaller than in 1938-39, As 

 a result of the use of river waters for irrigation the large, shallow 

 lakes known as the Laguna de Mayran and the Laguna de Viesoa have beoome 

 practically dry. Periodically, however, some water overflows into the 

 lowest parts of the lake beds. During the season of 1938, precipitation 

 was heavy on the river headwaters in the Sierra Madre, much water reach- 

 ing the Mayran "sump" and affording a fine winter feeding and resting 

 area for waterfowl. During the winter of 1939-40, however, the sump was 

 a wide me squite- grown flat, supporting a fine growth of grass and weeds-- 

 an excellent stock range, but of little value to ducks. In this connec- 

 tion it should be pointed out that these areas in Chihuahua and Coahuila 

 are probably parts of the Central rather than of the Pacific Flyway. 



After making these studies, Goldman proceeded south to Mexico City, 

 and thence westward to the States of Colima, Jalisco, Miohoacan, Morelos, 

 and Guerrero. He checked such important sections as the Lagunas Chapala, 

 Zapotlan, Buyutlan, Magdalena, Atoyao, and Patzouaro, the twin deltas of 

 the Duero and Lerma Rivers, as well as many areas of leBser significance, 

 as the Lagunas Tilapan, Zaooalco, Dayula, and others, and made a trip east- 

 ward to the Laguna de Carmen in Puebla. 



Field work was continuous over a period of nearly 5 months, during 

 which Goldman traveled 10,600 miles by automobile, train, boat, and dug- 

 out canoe. He made investigations in 17 Mexican States and al3o while en 

 route there, in California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, Interesting 

 quotations from his voluminous report might be used in sumnation, but it 

 must suffice to record that as a result of his studies he concluded that 

 "the duck population of the Mexioan tableland and west coast materially 

 decreased during the winter of 1939-40 from that of 1938-39," Geese and 

 oranes maintained and possibly even improved their status. The season 

 was abnormal, warm weather in California resulting in delayed flights 

 southward; it is known that duoks were exceptionally abundant in southern 

 California during December, 



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