Blue-winged teal also were relatively more numerous in the 
southern zone, but the difference between zones was not as great 
as for the green-winged teale The only zone in which bluewings 
were distinctly less common in the bag was the northeastern zone, 
where they made up only 3 per cent of the kill. 
Lesser scaup and ringnecks combined made up a very small 
portion (5.3 per cent) of the kill in the southern zone but a 
very large portion in the northern zones of the State. Lesser 
Scaup made up from 24-31 per cent of the kill in the three northern 
zones, and ringnecks made up 18.5 per cent of the kill in the north- 
central zone and 19.6 per cent in the northeastern zone. The ringneck 
made up 5.3 per cent of the sample in the northwestern zone. 
The species composition of the kill in the four areas of 
Minnesota was quite different (Table 17). For example, in the 
northeastern zone both ringneck and lesser scaup made up a 
larger fraction of the sample than did the mallard. In the 
southern zone, in contrast, mallards were almost seven times as 
abundant as the ringnecks and lesser scaups combined. This 
analysis of the kill distribution within the State of Minnesota 
shows that it is important to have the wing collection in each 
State distributed so that the same fraction of the kill is 
sampled in all areas of the State. 
Variation in Species Composition Within The Season 
The kill in each State in the Flyway was examined by periods 
within the season to evaluate the changes in species composition 
that occurred as the season progressed. The following is a brief 
account for those States from which samples were large enough to 
make such comparisons feasible: 
Minnesota 
Most of the wings received (94.5 per cent) came from 
birds shot in October. The mallard was the most abundant single 
species during the first period (4 days), making up 35.6 per 
cent of the total kill (Table 18). The proportion of mallards 
in the kill declined to 24.8 and 24.2 per cent during the 
next two 10-day periods. During the next period, in mid- 
November, the proportion was approximately 66.7 per cent; 
at this time relatively few ducks of any kind were being shot, 
Blue-winged teal made up 18.2 per cent of the kill during the 
first period then declined abruptly to 3.8 per cent of the 
kill during the second 10 days. They were viturally absent 
from the kill by November first. The proportions of wood ducks 
and ringnecks in the kill also declined after October. Lesser 
scaup, in contrast, constituted only 2.5 per cent of the kill 
during the first period, but the proportion increased during 
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