Table 2. -- Epecies Composition - Ground Transects 
Horth Daketa South Dakota 
Ereading Pairg 19-48 1949 1948 1345 
Blue-winged teal en,.0 e4a,7 42.0 42.7 
Fintail elel 3,6 14.9 11.7 
Mallard 12.9 1£.1 18.0 16.2 
Shovyeler 12.0 9.60 5.8 4,1 
Gadwall F.4 6.2 13.6 15.8 
Redhead oo a. oe 2.6 
Ruddy duck 2.5 2.5 3.7 3.3 
Bal dpate 2e4 2.5 1.6 1.4 
Canva sbeck 1.6 1.9 0,6 0.7 
Lenser sceaup le 1.3 O42 1.0 
Greean-winged teal 4 0.2 G.1 0,6 
Ring-necked duck t t 0.2 
Golden-eye = = - O.1 
Chreyo f Re 3 
In general, the northward movement of ducks through the Dakota region 
wis a few days later than normal. Table 3 liats a few spring arrival dates 
and nesting datea for the main breeding species: 
Table 3 
South Dakotas Korth Dalcota First Nest 
Pintail March 13 April 2 April 17 
Mallard March 20 April 2 April 19 
shoteler March 19 April & May 10 
Haldpate March 26 April 6 May 13 
Gadwa11 April 1 April 7 May 17 
Blue-winged teal April 10 April 10 May 9 
The following graph ia practically self-explanatory and merely 
illustrates the fact that during the spring breeding season when paire of 
ducks are setting up housekeeping they apmarently prefer the small water 
areas of on# acre or leas, 
The data on which the graph ia based were collected during the 
regular coverage of breeding-ground transects. The remarkable thing ahout 
this graphic portrmyal is the fact that the two curves so nearly parallel 
#ach other eren though the date were collected from widely separated areas. 
The South Dakota curre is also almost exactly identical to one prepared in 
1948 from data taken for that year. 
There was no lack of water areas over one acre in aize in the region 
covered by tranaects sc the preference for the amaller arese is clear-cut. 
L466 
