The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1922-04-21
EFFECTS OF POISONED GRAIN
ON CHINESE PHEASANTS.

The use of PHOSPHORUS in squirrel
poison is strongly condemned, as it
kills off our game birds. Bulletin of
L. S. Biological Survey follows:
with a view to determining the eff
feet on the introduced Chinese pleas
ant of poisoned grain distributed for
ground squirrels, a number of tests
were made with birds secured from
King county game farm at Snooual-
ME, Washington. Clean whole oats
coated with poison flour paste was
used throughout the experiments.
The grain was prepared according to
the formula and directions followed
in mixing poisoned bait for the Co.
lumbia ground squirrel which, con-
densed, is as follows:
mix together thoroughly one ounce
of powdered strychnine alkaloid one
ounce Of baking soda, one-eighth
ounce of saccharine and three heaping
tablespoonful of flour. Stir into this
mixture of four powdered ingredients
enough cold water to make a creamy
paste and beat until it is free of
Jumps and flecks. Pour this paste
over twelve quarts of good, heavy
oats and mix .thoroughly-until there
are no dry kernels
The pheasants were untlergrown
birds about five or six months old. On
arrival at the Experiment Station
they were confined in a netting en-
closure and fed on mixture of
grains such as is used for scratch
food in the poultry department Each
bird, in turn, was transferred to a
smaller coop for trial with the poison
ed grain. Fresh water was access
ible to them at all times. Results of
the experiments follow:
Pheasant No. / a cock. was fed Is
grains of the poisoned oats in the
forenoon of the first day, 25 grains in
the afternoon, and 60 grains on the
morning of the next day. All of this
he ate readily. Although he showed
no effects whatever of the poisoning
at the time or later, he nevertheless
refused to eat the oats on the third
day and continual to reject it when
mixed with the regular scratch food.
Pheasant No. 2, a hen, ate so grains
Of the poisoned oats in the forenoon
without noticeable effect In the af-
ternoon she was fed Is grains more.
At first she ate none of this, but lat
er consumed about three fourths of it.
No other food was given her during
day. The next morning the bird was
released, apparently in the best of
physical condition.
Pheasant No. 5, a cock, was con-
fined for twenty hours in the expert
mental pen without any food. At II
in the morning he was given 100
grains of the poisoned oats. This he
ate quickly. There were no notice
able injurious effects.
Pheasant No. 4, cock, was given
as a morning feed $50 grains of poi
soned oats, all of which he ate read
lily and did not appear to suffer in
the least from the effects of the
strychnine.
From these experiments it would
appear that this valuable game bird
is not likely to be much reduced in
number, if at all, as a result of the
poisoning campaigns against the Co.
lumbia ground squirrels of Eastern
Washington. There should be even
less likelihood of Chinese Pheasants
being affected by poisoning opera
tons in the sage rat districts of
Central Washington, since in these
operations there is less strychnine
used per given quantity of oats than
in the formula for Columbia ground
squirrel bait.