Table 1.-- Waterfow] Observed on River Transects, Indiana, 1949 
Transect Date Hiles Ducks Geane Coot Brooda No. Young 
1B 5/25 21 29 20 109 
7/13 1 ait 37 
oR 5/2? 17 18 4 1 7 50 
7/14 1? #5 = 5 
on 6/3 12 60) g t B 
6/13 12 4 1 - 
4k 5/1 2h 4 
6/3 12 fe) 
5H 5/2 17 28 
6/9 1? 24 7 44 
1. These figures include young capable of flight, that had 
congregated and could not be separated by broods. 
Preliminary cat transects served to shaw to what extent ducks utilize 
the drainage ditches and to sample varlous aoil types. No doubt, the disturb- 
ing influence of traffic would tend to lower the reavlts obtained fron making 
the censua stops on bridges hut this 1s the most advisable method to employ in 
eanpling such areas quickly. 
Car transecte run in 12 counties required 307 car miles to sample 25,4 
actual miles of ditches on the first coverage. It was found that the visibility 
on these game ditches which were run a second time had decreased from 15 to 2 
percent by the growth of emergent Fezetation between the first and second 
coverage. The average number of ducke ner linear mile on the firet corerase 
wae 2,5, Since some transects were not mun a second time, no average was 
computed for the second coverage. 
Study areas selected in Steuben and LaGrange counties in extreme north- 
eaetern Indiana were situated in what ie thought to be the beat breeding Tange 
in the State; thus, there areas should act be taken ae representative tracts. 
Al] other study sreaz were selected more or lese at randem. The most complete 
coverage wart given ta the former areas in am attempt to obtain information 
Tegarding the statue of the blue-winged teal. Intermediate ond temporary 
potholes were more easily censused because cf the absence of epatterdack, which 
wae nearly always present in permanent potholes. No systematic search for neete 
war employed due ta the time involved for one man to eonduct such a censue. 
Twenty study areas were censused at least twice during the season, while & of 
these were checked 2 times each. 
The average number of ducks per square mile ranged from 0 to 23, with 
Elkhart County having the greatest density. Several potholes which contained 
ducks on the firat vielt were barren of waterfowl] on aubsequent checkea. 
Apparently, some migrational movements were etill in foree during May and 
ehifting from pothole to pothole very Likely accounted for some of this dis- 
crepancy. 
The coot and eleven species of waterfowl were encountered on the study 
areas, excluding the three game preserves (Table 2). Nests and/or brooda of 
the mallard, black duck, blue-winged teal, wood duck and ring-necked duck were 
208 
