Animals of the Mississippi Bottoms near Qidncij. 131 



few days of uuusually high temperature became at the edge of 

 these so hot as to be scarcely bearable. 



ANIMAL LIFE.— MAMMALS AND BIRDS. 



With this sketch of the surroundings we pass to the ani- 

 mals themselves. Of course mammals were not to be looked 

 for on land so recently covered with water, and no trace of the 

 presence of muskrats, even, was noticed. The raccoon, how- 

 ever, is said to remain on the flooded ground at all times, re- 

 sorting to the trees, and probably often fasting, when sur- 

 rounded by water. These animals were common about the 

 sloughs, as was shown by the prints of feet, and doubtless de- 

 pend to some e.Ktent on the fishes and other animals there 

 crowded together. Fishes thrown upon the shore were gener- 

 ally devoured by them before the next morning. In the latter 

 part of August they were plainly depending largely on wild 

 grapes for food. 



Birds were at no time abundant. A few kingfishers, a 

 solitary green heron, or a couple of spotted sandpipers ( Trin- 

 goides macularius), were about all that were commonly seen 

 during a day's work. As the season advanced these became 

 a little more abundant from accessions of migrating birds to 

 their numbers. At one time a flock of about forty white peli- 

 cans appeared for the greater part of a day on the Missouri 

 sand-bar opposite Wood Slough, but were driven away by gun- 

 ners and did not again appear. An occasional troop of cormo- 

 rants was seen, a single blue heron, a dab chick (Podib/mhHH 

 podiceps)^ and two half-grown ducks, one of which was brought 

 in by the seine. When the wild grapes ripened, the bottom- 

 laud was invaded by a good many of the smaller birds which 

 were not often seen there before. Among these, robins, red- 

 headed woodpeckers, and blue jays were conspicuous, though I 

 cannot say that the two latter were attracted by the grapes. 

 One other bird deserves mention as, from the numbers in which 

 it occurs, it must have an important influence upon the insect 

 life of the waters. Certain parts of the bluff presented exten- 

 sive vertical surfaces of exposed clay, and bank swallows, in 

 great numbers, had excavated burrows in this for nests. In 

 places these exposed surfaces were honey-combed with the 



