BIOLOGICAL RECONNOISSANCE AT FLATHEAD LAKE. 157 



golden-eye ducks started in affright. A kingfisher noisily resented our 

 intrusion, perhaps the first for a long time. A flicker called from a near- 

 by tree, and drummed loudly. Otherwise the woods seemed to be silent. 

 The lake was almost choked by hydrophytic vegetation. The waters 

 were of a beautiful blue color, causing exclamations of surprise and de- 

 light. We were not prepared to make examination of the water. 



The ridge proved to be morainal, as shown by the rounded pebbles 

 and stranded boulders on the surface. It continues to the lake, as we 

 afterwards ' discovered, cutting the lake in twain, really making the lake 

 double. This body of water is perhaps a mile or more across, some- 

 what elliptical in outline, timbered to the edge, and unexplored. The 

 ridge cutting the lake in two meets the waters of the lake approximatly 

 at the middle, extending from side to side of the lake. The morainal 

 ridge extends almost due east and west. The ridge is sharp and steep, 

 and at the same time narrow. On the summit the distance across is but 

 a few feet. In height it is perhaps a hundred feet above the water. It 

 is well wooded with small timber. On the north the trees are arbor-vitae, 

 on the south Douglas spruce. It is a place where the sharpest line yet 

 observed is drawn between forest growth of two different species, show- 

 ing plainly how slight differences in location may make sufficient differ- 

 ence to give one species an advantage over the other. The southern 

 side of the sharp ridge faces the sun, is dry, and supports Douglas spruce. 

 The north slope holds more moisture, gets much less sun, better suited to 

 the growth of cedar. 



A portion of this lake to the north has receded so as to uncover the 

 ground, leaving a marshy meadow on which native hay grows in abund- 

 ance. This is cut by thrifty ranchers for winter use. The lake is not 

 named, is little known, and biologically is unexplored. As our trip on 

 this occasion was hasty and merely for preliminary purposes no attempt 

 was made to collect material. Indeed, it was late when we returned home 

 from this hasty reconoissarce, much as we desired to make more care- 

 ful examination. That must be left for future years. 



On the ridge between the two portions of the lake a place was noticed 

 where the grass and other vegetation was apparently trampled and 

 mashed down as though a conflict had taken place. At first it was taken 

 for the bed of a deer, but there was a marked difference in appearance 

 between this and the ordinary deer bed. Examination disclosd the 

 wasted skeleton of a porcupine, yet covered by portions of skin, and 

 abundantly protected by long quills. The fight had taken place at the 

 foot of a fir tree. E\idently the porcupine had just descended from the 

 tree, when he was seized by an enemy, probably a wolf. 



Along the bank of the old lake referred to as meadow was found 

 the partly decayed skeleton of a fine white-tailed buck. He had a large 

 pair of antlers, which were still covered with velvet. His death can 

 only be conjectured, but must no doubt be referred to the hunter. Un- 

 fortunately his antlers were badly eaten by rodents, hence they were 

 useless. On the border of the meadow a fine buck was rousd from his 

 midday slumbers. The timber was dense, and the first bound put him 

 behind such a mass of tree trunks as to make a shot impossible. Up in 



