THE DUCK SICKNESS IN UTAH. 
Table I. — Record of ducks treated '. 
21 
Species. 
Number 
treated. 
Died. 
Recovered. 
Number. 
Per cent. 
Number. 
Per cent. 
604 
361 
112 
62 
43 
15 
14 
151 
84 
21 
13 
9 
2 
4 
25 
23 
19 
21 
21 
13 
28 
453 
277 
91 
49 
34 
13 
10 
75 
Pintail 
77 
Mallard 
81 
Spoonbill 
79 
79 
87 
Gadwall 
72 
Total 
1,211 
284 
23 
927 
77 
Green-winged teal show a low percentage of recovery, but this 
may be explained by the fact that few of those most severely affected 
recovered. Among mallards and pintails many individuals are 
killed by lead poison due to eating shot; these have been eliminated 
from the table. Besides the species enumerated in the table a certain 
number of redheads are affected, but these seldom recover. This 
may be attributed to the circumstance that nearly all are young 
birds that have no reserves of fat to sustain them during the period 
when they can not feed. 
In the three marsh systems in Utah in which birds are affected a 
small number of men can care for the sick ducks with little trouble. 
On both the Jordan and Weber Kiver areas artesian water is available. 
On Bear River recourse must be had to the water in the main river, 
which, while far from fresh, has proved pure enough for practical 
use. By experiment it was found that the water served for this 
purpose in the channels far down toward the bays as long as it was 
flowing steadily. In fact, many sick birds congregate in the lower 
parts of the overflows, and there is no question that a large number of 
these recover naturally. 
The sick birds brought in to the laboratory were confined in pens 
placed at the river's edge, half on land and half in water, where the 
water at the lower end of the pens was not more than 18 inches deep. 
These pens were built 6 feet wide, 12 feet long, and 4 feet high. 
The framework was made of two by fours, save along the bottom, 
where one by four material was used. An 18-inch door was placed 
in the shore end. This frame was covered with wire netting on 
sides, top, and bottom. To confine the larger ducks, 2-inch mesh 
wire was used. For teal it was found necessary to use wire with 
1-inch mesh, as many individuals were able to escape through wire 
with a larger opening. When the wire resting on shore did not 
sink in the mud it was covered lightly with salt grass or rushes to 
give the ducks a comfortable resting place and to protect their feet. 
Pens of this size are handled by two men without much trouble and 
may be moved back and forth as the river rises and falls. Larger 
