. 8 - 
sis 0 Of th 0 flold and tha condition of tha grain at the tina of examina- 
tion aaamad conservative • home damage here had been done by blackbirds 
hat the major part vas to be ascribed to ducks* Several pictures were 
taken In this field. 
At the farm of B. X. Alters nearby itallards had been working In 
about 40 acres of shocked rice hut the damage In this and another field 
estimated at about 1200 bushels was due In large i>art to blackbirds as 
was shown by the large quantities of rice halls scattered about. The out- 
er sheaves In the shooics were stripped as desorlbed above In the field be- 
longing to Mr. Moses. 
William Sljqpson below Oe Witt claimed that Mallards had destroyed 
oxie field containing between 100 and 125 acres of rice In the shook with 
a resultant loss of about 5.000 bushels of grain. As soon as possible an 
effort was oade to thresh the rice In this field but as only el^t or ten 
bushels of rloe were secured from fifteen loads the attempt was abandoned, 
and the remaining grain was left In the field. At Mr. Sliqp8on*s Invita- 
tion a dosen or fifteen men came down here to shoot at night In order to 
keep the duoks out but had little suooess. The birds began to come In 
4 
here about nine each evening and left before dawn. 1 visited this field 
and found the remains of the rloe shocks eoattered about and the seed heads 
$ 
entirely stripped. As hogs had been tamed In here to feed I was not able 
to arrive at the original condition after the duoks were through. The 
Shooks examined all showed evldenoe of damage by birds and Mallards were 
still feeding here. About 500 Mallards were working In this field at the 
time of ioy visit. 
J. McMillan who was farming rloe on a field of 100 acres belonging 
I 
