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to H. P. Brown claimed that birds had caused damage here amounting to 2000 bushels. This apparently was to be charged equally to Mallards and to blackbirds. Threshing was going on at the time of my visit but I was able to examine about 40 acres of rice still in the shock. The shocks of rice in this field had been frozen in before ducks began to work in [[the?]] so that only a very few had been torn down. There were many signs of where the ducks had been working around and clambering over the shocks and many Mallard feathers and much duck dung composed almost entirely of rice hulls scattered about. In some cases the cap sheaves on the shocks had been much flattened, while straw had been pulled out and trampled down all around the shocks. Practically all of the exposed grain had been taken. Mr. McMillan stated that ducks began to work in here about ten days previous (i.e. Dec. 7-10) and that Mallards came in hordes both during day and at night. They were accompanied by great flocks of blackbirds, Men were stationed in the fields to shoot and did some good in driving the birds out but still the loss was severe. On December 16, twelve men had shot in this field and since then ducks had given little trouble.
 
R. A. Scott claimed loss from Mallards in shocked rice but this grain had all been threshed so that the fields were bare. No estimate was placed on the amount of damage here.
 
The Walton Rice and Land Company had lost considerable grain in a field of 40 acres the damage being attributed equally to Mallards and blackbirds. This grain was still in the field but I was unable to get in to it as it was beginning to thaw, ^[[and the ground was too soft.]]

Besides those mentioned the following are said to have lost more