but one day or so of the season left there wouldn*t be time for the harry- 

 ing and crippling of high-flying fowl to make the birds 'blind wise 1 and 

 spoil his stand for the remainder of the season. The guide, of course, 

 was shortsighted and selfish, but not more so than the gunner who will 

 follow suoh advice, or of his own initiative fire into distant birds when 

 common sense informs him that nhanoes are all against a clean kill* 



"Honest men are gratified when a gang of market shooters is broken 

 up and put out of business, and justifiably so, yet many times, when we 

 take a long chance that re stilts in a bird skidding down out of sight and 

 beyond hope of recovery, we add to a loss which, in its seasonal total, 

 exoeeds by millions the numbers killed by poachers and market shooters." 



Ha tural Enemie s 



From time to time certain animals are extensively publicized as the 

 cause for the decrease of game species* It is obvious that a hawk, owl, 

 coyote, fox, mink, or other flesh eater may occasionally enjoy a dinner 

 of duck or goose, "even as you and I," Nevertheless, actual bona fide 

 instances of their so doing are extremely rare. Locally the common crow 

 can, and does, do much damage to nesting waterfowl, and occasionally the 

 depredations of large fishes, turtles, snakes, skunks, gulls, and jaegers 

 may assume same importance in the loss of eggs and downy young, but the 

 evidenoe available does not in any way justify the classification of these 

 forms of wildlife as "vermin." Nowadays, by a rather curious perversion, 

 this term is used by many to include all animals that sometimes might kill 

 another animal that man himself desires to kill. 



With this thought it is gratifying to oite a report by J. A* Munro 

 entitled "The relation of loons, Holboell's grebes, and coots to duck pop- 

 ulations" (Journal of Wildlife Management 3« 339-344, Ootober 1939). Mun- 

 ro not only is an ornithologist of note but also Chief Federal Migratory 

 Bird Offioer for British Columbia. All the birds mentioned in the title 

 of his article have been accused of killing ducklings. The study was 

 conducted in the Cariboo region of British Columbia during the three sum- 

 mers 1936 to 1938, and a total of 428 inspections were made of 108 water- 

 fowl areas. The finding was that there is no appreciable difference in 

 the size of the broods of duoks when loons, Holboell's grebes, and coots 

 were present and when they were absent. Munro concludes with the comment: 

 "While it seems likely that some mortality oan be attributed to attacks 

 by loons, Holboell's grebes, and coots, this is undoubtedly casual or 

 sporadio, and does not represent a serious drain on waterfowl production." 



PART 2 j OTHER MIGRATORY GAME BIRDS 



Woodcock 



Numerically, woodcock hunters are far below those who hunt for ducks 

 and geese. This is fortunate, as the "timber doodle," like other shorebirds, 

 is single-brooded, nests on the ground, and lays only four eggs. Its 



17 



