8 
BULLETIN 793, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
Both died, the former in 11, and the latter in 13 days. One redhead 
was killed by taking six No. 6 shot. Another was given four pellets 
of shot and was sick for some time, but finally recovered. Experi- 
ments were not tried with other species. 
The symptoms in these birds were invariably the same, and it was 
proved beyond question that lead poisoning from ingested shot is a 
dangerous and usually fatal malady. In from 10 to 24 hours the 
feces of birds to which shot had been given were stained with green 
and were loose and watery in consistence. This green tinge increased 
until the fecal matter was very dark. Birds thus affected drank con- 
stantly, and frequently when disturbed regurgitated small quantities 
of more or less greenish water. As the malady progressed the affected 
ducks spent more and more time in the water pans and drank con- 
stantly. The excrement in 12 hours often was sufficient in quantity 
to color strongly 10 quarts of water. 
Other symptoms and post-mortem appearances were similar to those 
described in previous paragraphs. Birds were affected more rapidly 
by soft shot than by chilled or hardened shot, but in either case the 
result was the same. Birds that had the stomachs well filled with 
gravel or that had access to an abundance of gravel were weakened 
more quickly than those that had been confined for some time where 
they could not secure grit. Apparently the rapidity with which they 
became affected was dependent upon the speed with which trituration 
in the ventriculus ground away particles of lead and passed them into 
the intestine. It has been mentioned that in post-mortem examina- 
tions the blackened lining of the CBeca was found to be a prominent 
symptom of lead poisoning. It was supposed that this blackening 
was due to the presence of lead sulphide formed by the action of 
hydrogen sulphide upon lead particles present in the intestine. 
Analyses made in the Bureau of Chemistry proved that this was not 
true in the majority of cases, as only a trace of lead sulphide was 
detected in one sample in six submitted for examination. The quantity 
of lead present in the cseca seemed somewhat correlated with the num- 
ber of shot in the stomach. Table I gives the results of the six 
analyses. 
Table I. — Relation heticeen number of shot in stomachs of waterfoicl and quan- 
tity of lead in cwca. 
Species. 
Number 
of shot in 
stomach.. 
Quantity 
oflead" 
detected 
incseea. 
Species. 
Number 
of shot in 
stomach. 
Quantity 
oflead 
detected 
in caeca. 
Mallard 
4 
11 
Mgm. 
0.20 
.20 
.27 
34 
Mgm. 
0.55 
Do 
Do 
Pintail 
48 
5 
.55 
Do 
17 
.15 
