-58 



THE OOLiOGlST 



to row, aiming for a creek at the up- 

 per end where we expected to find 

 usnea moss, the home of many Parulas. 

 Night Herons fiew awkwardly back 

 and forth among the swamps, and 

 flocks of Waxwings dashed restlessly 

 about the alders, where we discovered 

 several completed nests beautifully 

 constructed of usnea. Now and then 

 Red-shouldered Hawks soared over, and 

 once an Osprey. On reaching the end 

 of the pond a search was begun for the 

 mouth of the brook which, well con- 

 cealed by alders was at length dis- 

 covered. A tule swamp grew about 

 and thinking to tind a few Red-winged 

 Blackbirds' nests, we began to wade. 

 Water snakes wiggled in and out and 

 once in a while a black one. The black- 

 birds were in plenty with eggs ready 

 to hatch, we were about to return to 

 the boat when I caught a glimpse of 

 white eggs through the brake, there 

 was a fine set of Least Bittern's eggs, 

 five in numbei% warm as when the bird 

 stealthilly left them. The nest, a rough 

 platform of tules was raised about six 

 inches above the water and so slight 

 was the depression that the eggs readily 

 rolled aDoiit. They proved to be 

 slightly incubated when blown. Four 

 fresh Long-billed Marsh Wren's nests 

 were passed on the way back to the 

 boat. The creek is the outlet to the 

 lake and probably forms one of the 

 principal sources. It is about twelve 

 feet wide, continuing so for a mile 

 and a half when it disappears under an 

 underground bridge, over which an old 

 road passes. On all sides is a thick 

 swamp of ash, alders and tall, gaunt 

 dead wood, pierced countless times by 

 Woodpecker's holes. It was reported 

 that Woodduck roosted here, but we 

 found only one old nest in a shaky stub. 

 The usnea grew very thick u- we poled 

 along and hearing our tir.«t }' aula song, 

 we hunted and soon ha ' i he nest, a 

 delicate affair hung to an i>:«l tree eight 

 ,feet high. Four slightly incubated eggs 



were the contents. From this spot the 

 nests became fairly common, being 

 placed in a variety of situations. Some 

 were over ten feet up while others were 

 not five. One was hung right over mid 

 stream and without the boat could not 

 have been examined. The male birds 

 in all cases were singing about three 

 hundred yards away, and unless the 

 nests held sets, the females were not 

 observed. The majority of nests were 

 empty, being about completed and 

 others held two or four eggs, the latter 

 number being the set. Only twice while 

 taking eggs was any alarm displayed 

 ■ and then the females simply uttered a 

 few chirps after leaving the nests, and 

 then flew oft'. We urged the skiff along 

 in this way till past noon when aiTiving 

 at the bridge our progress was stopped. 

 Here we ate lunch and then started 

 back to look for the inlet to the lake. 

 This we found in much the same way 

 as the outlet. The inlet which we 

 called "Usnea Creek'" is only navigable 

 for a short distance where it broadens 

 into a thick swamp. The Parulas were 

 not so abundant here and we found but 

 three nests. A pair of Chickadees 

 were singing loudly about, so a little 

 search found us the nest in a paper- 

 birch stub leaning over the water. It 

 contained young almost ready to fly. 



The afternoon was now well spent, so 

 , turning towards home we slowly rowed 

 along looking for more nests in the 

 moss which still continued to be thick 

 about the hornbeams. Three more nests 

 were seen, one containing two eggs, 

 the rest empty. A Green Heron called 

 from a cedar clump near and arose 

 splashingly. We entered and found a 

 nest containing young about hatched 

 with the broken shells beneath. A few 

 Black-throated Green Warbler's were 

 singing their quaint songs about the 

 cedar tops, but we failed to find their 

 nests. 



We reached the shore in an hour or 

 so, and pulling up the boat, with a last 



