THE OOLOGIST 



Vol. 3, No 4. ALBION, N. Y., JULY & AUG, 1886. 



\ Bl-MONTHLV. 



( Soc. Pek Year. 



My First White Crane's Nest. 



A number of years since, while out on a 

 three mouths' collecting trip in Northern 

 Iowa, I had the pleasure of finding a nest 

 of the White or Whooping Crane. Al- 

 though I have found manj'- of them since, 

 this set of eggs has especial interest to me 

 from the circumstances connected with its 

 •capture. 



One cloudy, cold day in early May Heft 

 camp on Crystal Lake for a few hours' 

 hunting on the great marsh that stretches 

 to the northeast from Eagle Lake, some 

 seven miles distant from camp. Between 

 the lakes lies a high chain of rocky, broken 

 hills and ridges covered with short grass. 

 On either side of these ridges are flats and 

 marshes, out of which the Iowa river flows. 

 As I hurried on a fine arrow-point occa- 

 sionally paid me for a glance on the ground, 

 •which at this time of j^ear was burned bare. 

 From the highest knols could be seen sev- 

 eral wood-fringed lakes in the distance. At 

 last I reached the marsh and cast about for 

 large birds which might be nesting at this 

 season. Soon the peculiar manner of a 

 Brown Crane assured me that a nest was 

 somewhere near. After much hunting It 

 "was discovered, only one egg being laid. 

 While engaged with this bird I had seen a 

 Whooping Crane walking about the marsh 

 a mile further on. With great anxietj' I 

 now undertook to find the whereabouts of 

 its nest, if it had one ; but this kingly fellow 

 is not found napping. His keen eye will 

 detect .the most carefully guarded move- 

 ments a great way off, and at once he ad- 

 vises his mate of danger, when both leis- 

 urely walk away in the most unconcerned 

 manner imaginable and perhaps fly away 

 entirely and not return for hours. I was 

 somewhat disappointed when their long 

 flapping wings had carried them from view. 

 Pond and shallow Avater, overgrown with 



rushes, stretched for miles with occasional 

 tracts of tussocks. Among these I wan- 

 dered about, getting sight of a pair of 

 Geese here, a frightened Rail there. Occa- 

 sionally a flock of Sand-peeps whistled by 

 me. Hours passed away, and when I was 

 turning campward I caught sight of the 

 snowy forms of a pair of White Cranes fly- 

 ing siowly toward me. Immediately I fell 

 flat, the birds alighted lar in the swamp, 

 my presence was detected at once and away 

 they went. However, I concealed myself 

 well and watched their return, which oc- 

 curred in about tweutj' minutes. This 

 time one of the birds walked to a certain 

 point and stopped ; as she remained so long 

 I concluded to make my w^ay to where she 

 was. To mj delight she was sitting on her 

 heavily marked drab egg, which \-dy in a 

 neat cavity in the top of a well-built heap 

 of tough, fine marsh grass H feet high on 

 firm sod. The eggs were the first I had 

 seen and were a rare prize to me. When I 

 approached the nest the bird, which had 

 walked some distance away, came running 

 back within a few rods, trotting awkward- 

 ly around, wings and tail spread drooping, 

 with head and shoulders brought to a level 

 with the water; then it began picking up 

 bunches of moss and sticks which it threw 

 down in a defiant way; then with pitable 

 mien it spread itself on the water and beg 

 ged me to leave its treasure, which, in a 

 heartless manner, I didn't do. At one time 

 she was within twenty feet of me, but 

 showed no inclination to fight, though they 

 are said to defend their j'oung with cour- 

 age. The eggs carefully packed, I looked 

 around, when a faint red glow told me that 

 the sun was down and I seven miles from 

 camp, in the midst of a strange marsh, 

 with no house in sight ! The great range 

 of stony hills shut off the view, and I could 

 only guess the direction of the camp, which 

 I did and started on a brisk walk, but 



