73 
 
 
Leopold-The Chase Journal 
 
 
   Ducks. The percent composition of the kill (last column on 
right in table) indicates the former relative abundance of spe- 
cies on Lake Wingra. Scaup, greenwing teal, and mallard com- 
prise 59 per cent of the recorded bag. 
   Aside from this question of composition of the kill, the main 
value of the duck record is as possible evidence of trends in duck 
abundance. 
   The annual kill from 1873 to 1880 shows a steady climb (see 
graph), but this may represent the mounting proficiency of the 
youthful hunter, rather than any trend in duck abundance. 
   Between 1880 and 1888 follows a nearly continuous decline. 
This spans the ages of 22 to 30, when most hunters are ap- 
proaching their maximum of zest and skill, hence it is reasonable 
to postulate a decline in local birds. Can we account for such a 
trend? 
    It is common knowledge that Wingra is now spoiled as a duck 
lake, presumably by carp. Cole (p. 547) shows that carp were 
first introduced into Wisconsin about 1879, just previous to the 
apparent decline in Wingra ducks. Dr. Samuel H. Chase, how- 
ever, did not notice carp in Wingra until the late nineties. The 
possible role of carp thus seems beset by contradictory evidence. 
    The decade following 1888 shows, in general, a rising curve, 
 ending in a sharp decline after 1894. This decline coincides 
 with the general drouth of the early nineties (Streiff, p. 294). 
 E. R. Jones, State Drainage Engineer, tells me that undrained 
 peat marshes in central Wisconsin suffered deep burns in 1894. 
 This is the only known Wisconsin record of widespread peat 
 fires previous to drainage, and indicates extremely low water 
 tables. 
    Wing, in his exploration of waterfowl cycles, shows a Brant 
 bag curve (p. 349) for Monomay Island, Massachusetts. The 
 general trend parallels the Brtickner cycle of the sun, but during 
 the two periods here under consideration, the trend is opposite 
 that of the Chase curve. The minor oscillations, however, in- 
 elude a number of coincidences with the Chase curve: a low in 
 1888, a high in 1891, a low in 1893, a high in 1894, and a low in 
 1896. 
    The only conclusion which can be drawn is that if many local 
 journals could be fused into one continuous record, it might shed 
 important light on past fluctuations in waterfowl.