PLEASE REFER
Ta FILE NO.

A Permanent Work in Sport and Conservation
-2-
This would make it extremely difficult for a male to defend
a stretch of shoreline as his territory, as he may find his
loafing bar under three feet of water one day, and two
hundred yards from water by the end of the week,
For these reasons, coupled with my inability
to observe an Instance of territorial defence although I was
in the field continuously looking for it I now believe that,
while the Black Duck is a vigorous defenAer of his mate from
other drakes a.nd even from other species coming too close to
her (the Pintail was the other soecies observei to be driven
off), he does not defend a specific territory,
A point on which there apears to be .
difference between your observation and mine, is the matter of
determining sex and age by bill colour in the field,  During
the course of last year s fieldwork, I counted over 600 Black
Ducks individually by jumping them in front of my canoe in the
marsh. Most of these birds flushed at a distance which was
under thirty yeards. I made careful note of bill and foot
colour, and by the end of August, when I wound up my fieldwork
for that season, I had yet to see a bird with a yellow bill
or even pinkish feet, let alone red. All had the uniform
olive-drab bill and yellow-green feet corres.onding very
closely with Shortt's colour plate of the adult in eclipse
uOlumage. I take it therefore, that you are referring to
birds in full breeding plumage only. I have not yet had the
o-. ortunity to observe birds in breeding plumage here, as I
spent last fall in Madison, but I am hop ing to check this fall.

General Manager:
T. C. MAIN, M.E.IC.
Asst. General Manager:
E. S. RUSSENHOLT
Chief Engineer:
G. R. FANSET, B.Sc., C.E.
Chief Naturalist:
B. W. CARTWRIGHT
Saskatchewan Manager:
W. L. BUNTING, B.Sc., C.E.
Alberta Manager:
R. M. HARLEY
OFFICES:
201 Bank of Commerce
Winnipeg, Manitoba
42 Canada Life Bldg.
Regina, Saskatchewan
Qu'Appelle Bldg.
Edmonton, Alberta

There are very few breeding birds on the Study
Area this year. Just how much fewer than last year, I
hope to find out within the next month. I ran a shoreline
cruise of the Area between July 16th and. August 17th,
last year, and we will repeat it this year. That there
is a decrease seems beyond a doubt, but ju-t how big it
is I do not yet know.
I have.no observations on fall courtshi' and,
as Blacks do not winter here, I am afraid I will Aave
little opportunity to check your very interesting
observations. I may, however, be able to organize some

To Increase and Perpetuate the Supply of Ducks

DUCK..
%&n14?(CANADA)