- 10 > 
considerable number of smaller ones that would be filled during the rainy 
season. All lay along the lowereend of a high mesa at an altitude of 8800 
feet. A considerable number of horses, cattle, and sheep are grazed hero by 
the Navajo Indians and these have eaten the available range to the ground. 
Tha shoro line of the lalces is devoid of herbaceous cover and in addition 
bends of horses wade in the lakes, which range from 18 inches to 4 feet deep, 
to feed on the marsh begetation. This has destroyed a major part of the pro- 
teotieh cover. Ten pairs of liallards, one each of Blue-winged Teal and Kud- 
dy Duck, 60 of Eared Grebes, 37 of Coots and 3 of Killdeer made up the marsh 
bird population of the region at this time with the addition of a small num- 
ber of suoBiering male llallards and Teal. 
A marsh grass and a tule (iJoirpus ocolden tails ) made up the cover in 
the lakes while two species of ’’ondweed, a ;dn>artweed,auother aquatic plant 
and two kinds of wiregrass ( Eleooharis ) furnished material for duck food. 
* 
There is no hunting here at any season so that the small number of 
breeding water birds must be due to the destruction of cover and disturbance 
by grazing stock. It would be feasible to fence the large lake known as 
Be-e-l&et-huffl-nez and ^irovide a safe breeding place but this plan is consider- 
ed of doubtful value. 
Natural enemies do not seem coomon though it is x)robable that coyotes 
were moreabundant than was apparent during the period of this bried examination. 
Ex a m in ation was made of Hed Lake lying at 7000 feet near the base of 
the Chusoa fountains. The shores of this lake were barren from the grazing 
of sheep and the water was muddy and ba^;. ^ bayonet grass nnd a stoartweed 
grew in the water and Corixids were present in abundance. Conditions were 
unfavorable for water birds and one x>air each of Uallard, Green-winged Teal 
and Red-wingsd Blackbirds were the only Marsh birds noted. 
