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[[underlined]] AQUATIC VEGETATINO AND DUCK FOODS. [[/underlined]]

A marsh grass that grew in all save some of the smaller lakes (#540) was the most abundant of the water plants. In shallow water this formed rather a straggling growth. Where not eaten down too closely it formed a growth two feet or two and one half feet high, and in deeper water made floating bogs. (This many be a species of [[underlined]] Panicularia [[/underlined]]). The fruiting heads produced many seeds that may have some importance as duck food but this grass should be of more value as a cover plant if it were not eaten down to such an extent by grazing horses. At Be-e-khet-hum-nez and at Black Lake were areas grown with a round-stemmed tule ([[underlined]] Scirpus occidentalis [[/underlined]]). This seemed rather stunted and had small seed heads many of which seemed sterile. This was the only Scirpus noted. It was observed that the black Thrips found almost universally in fruiting heads of this and [[underlined]] S. paludosus [[/underlined]] at lower levels was absent in the plants on these mountains. A large and a small species of [[underlined]] Eleocharis [[/underlined]] were abundant at all of the lakes. The small species formed a carpet in the beds of all of the drying lakes and grew in abundance about the borders of the lakes containing water.

A broad-leaved Pondweed ([[underlined]] Potamogeten natans?[[/underlined]]) was common in the larger lakes filling the open water and frowing in among the other aquatic vegetation. With it was a Narrow-leaved Pondweed (of the [[underlined]] Potamogeton pectimatus [[/underlined]] type) that was fairly common. These two species were most abundant in the three large lakes but were found also in the smaller ones. A smartweed (Persicaria #546) was common likewise growing in the deeper water. This plant apparently would produce a considerable crop of seeds. Another plant with a yellow flower with many submerged sporccarps (#543.544.546) was common in all of the lakes. All of these are valuable as duck foods. As is readily