The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-03-03
SOLUTION COMES
FROM IRELAND
Famous Sportsman Gives Rea-
Sonable Explanation for
Death of Ducks.

On Jan. %, The Herald published a most
interesting account of an epidemic among
the ducks at the mouth of the Jordan
river The open water in the river was
literally covered with wild birds i'm yari
S SuS st o.l5 OF sickness; some of them
60 discussion among the spOrtgnen as
20 me nature and cause of the mysterious
disease, with about as many opinions as
there were sportsmen. Now comes I W
1oung, more Familiarity known here ar
Paddy Young, a famous sportsman and
hunter; who writes The Herald from his
I nome IN Brockley Park. Stradbath, Ire
Iand. offering solution of the problem
Which seems about the most satisfactory
explanation possible. Here is the letter
in full.
To the Salt Lake Herald:
by attention has been drawn to a no
ice in your paper of the mysterious eui-
demic among the ducks at the mouth of
the Jordan river. of course since | have
seen the article the mystery NAV have
been solved. but from the first account
published it looks uncommonly as if the
kinds of game when the locality is over
crowded with them. as we know to our
cost in Great Britain, when abnormaIlv
large numbers OF pheasants. cartridges or
RABBITS are reared on the same ground for
any length of time. So much so is this
the case, that on many strictly preserved
properties, where game preservation has
been excessive. the game has had to be
practically exterminated and preservation
abandoned for three or four years to give
time for the ground to recover itself and
the infection to die out; before an attempt
IS again made to establish great stock
or game. The symptoms are extreme in
Examination of the intestines or lungs or
both. birds and animals dying from the
attack either in a good or emaciated cordi-
ton, according to the virulence OF the epi-
demic. No cure is known and the ground
continues infected, specially for young
birds. for from two to three years The
only check is collecting as far as possible
and burning the bodies OF the diseased
birds and animals. The chief cause of
this have been the case at the mouth of
the Jordan, when the hard weather
caused unusual numbers of ducks to col
iect there?
Surely it would be better to increase the
legal limit OF ducks to be shot in one day
to fifty or more. when they would form
a healthful food supply for the people.
rather than by pandering to the fads of
certain small number of Utah's inhab-
ltants, cause a wholesale destruction of
the northern wild fowl which winter in
Utah. by overcrowding. when they, being
diseased, can not only be of no use to
anyone. but also pollute by their dead
eareasses the breeding grounds of the
wild fowl which nest in Utah but go
south on migration before the middle of
October, affording the sport at the be-
ginning of the season, before their depar-
ture.
am aware that these views on the mi
famous American naturalists. Lour's and
Audubon. as well as by European observ-
ers. do not coincide with the opinions OF
some of the duck club members in Salt
Lake, though most of the professional
shooters agree with them; and now, when
the legislature is sitting, Is the time for
practical men to get together to frame a
good game law, bearing in mind the radi-
cal difference between migratory game
and non-migratory and the different
laws required by the habits of each
Game preserving is science and should
be looked on as a science. It does not
merely consist in limiting the bag, and
the number Of days On which game can
be shot in a year. There are also the
questions of causing disease by over
CrOwding. proper destruction of vermin,
both winged and ground vermin
and especially in regard to water
fowl, fixing date after which
may not be burned, q have seen myself
more ducks nests destroyed by burning
the reeds in April than would If Matched,
have supplied many times the number OF
duck that are shot in all Utah in year,
If a committee were formed by club
who are spOrtsmen. not merely
faddists. farmers who own the land on
which ducks breed and professional hunt
ers who know the games habits, Titan
might get game law passed which
every one would respect; instead of by
to the fads of few. enact laws
which, on account of their inaneness. are
neither respected nor regarded. Yours.
I. ". YOUNG.
Brcckley Park. Stradbath. Ireland.