. Bulletin. Natural history; Natural history. August 1941 BELLROSE: DUCK FOOD PLANTS 269 among the better plants. Giant bur-reed, duck potato, tig. 31, and buttonbush. fig. 17, rated as fair to poor sources of duck food. Sago pondweed, fig. 22, regarded usually as an excellent duck food plant, rated low in value in 1938, probably be- cause of the fact that it produced little seed locally. Spike rushes, river bulrush, fig. 14, and American lotus, fig. 13. were by Harry G. Anderson revealed not one trace of wild rice seed. When 1 visited Douglas Lake in August and September, 1939, thousands of r
. Bulletin. Natural history; Natural history. August 1941 BELLROSE: DUCK FOOD PLANTS 269 among the better plants. Giant bur-reed, duck potato, tig. 31, and buttonbush. fig. 17, rated as fair to poor sources of duck food. Sago pondweed, fig. 22, regarded usually as an excellent duck food plant, rated low in value in 1938, probably be- cause of the fact that it produced little seed locally. Spike rushes, river bulrush, fig. 14, and American lotus, fig. 13. were by Harry G. Anderson revealed not one trace of wild rice seed. When 1 visited Douglas Lake in August and September, 1939, thousands of red-winged blackbirds were congregated there, feeding upon the seed. They undoubtedly consumed most of the crop. Since there are only very limited areas suitable for the development of wild rice, it would seem that any plant-. Fig. -Rice cut-grass beds in Quiver Creek, near Lake Chautauqua, September, 1940. found to be practically worthless as food for ducks in the Illinois River valley in 1938. Stomach analyses by Harry G. Ander- son* of 1939 and 1940 gizzards, while not complete, indicate that rice cut-grass still ranks first. Marsh smartweed, coontail and buttonbush seem to have dropped in relative value. Wild millet, fig. 19, and Japanese millet, pigweed, fig. 28. nut- grasses, fig. 27, and nodding smartweed appear to be among the top foods in these years, in which they were much more abundant than in 1938. Wild rice, generally a highly rated duck food, is apparently of little value as a duck food in the Illinois River valley. Although 81 acres of this species grew in Douglas Lake in 1939, 108 duck gizzards obtained there in the fall of that vear and •Working on Illinois Natural History Survey Federal Aid Project 2-R. referred to earlier in this paper. ings made—even though successful—- would not produce much food for ducks in the Illinois River region; blackbirds would consume most of the seed. Plant Competition As already indicated, there are among the
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