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Show Merganser Family of Ducks Destructive; Found to Be Menace to the Trout Streams The three members of the merganser mer-ganser family of ducks can well be named "wild fowl without a friend." No one cares to fight their battles for protection. Despised by the duck hunters, considered by epicures as unfit for food, condemned by fishermen fisher-men as a menace to our trout streams, the merganser ducks, called useless, destructive and pred-j pred-j atory, are seriously threatened with the death penalty, notes Albert Stoll, Jr., in the Detroit News. The thousands of conservation officers of-ficers and fish culturists throughout the United States have been empow-: empow-: ered to destroy mergansers if they appear to be destructive to fish life. There will be few so deputized who will refrain from "shooting on sight" the first merganser coming within range of the gun. Those who are on intimate terms with these birds, and know of their food habits, seem to agree that they constitute one of the greatest enemies ene-mies of our brook trout. They remain re-main in their northern habitat until ice completely covers even the smallest pot hole or open expanse of river water, feeding continually upon up-on whatever fish life these waters may furnish. Unlike other species of ducks, their appetite never appears ap-pears satisfied. The examination of the stomach contents of an American merganser killed on the Boardman river proved that this bird had just partaken of a ten-inch rainbow trout for his breakfast This is not unusual. It is surprising how large a fish the merganser can swallow with but little lit-tle effort. Possibly a thinning in the ranks of the merganser Is justified, but it is a certainty that ornithologists will not countenance their complete extermination. |
