THE OSPREY. 



93 



the party. In less than one minute 

 all seven g^eese, which by this time 

 were already- half a mile to the north 

 of the lake, turned back, and after 

 a little circling- sailed down to the 

 lake. Three-quarters of an hour 

 later five g-eese, doubtlessly the same, 

 left the lake and proceeded on their 

 journey Northward. 



On these lakes ducks and g-eese 

 are plentiful throug-hout spring- and 

 fall, and the numbers killed by the 

 club members are only a small per- 

 centag-e of the vast multitudes which 

 find rest and food on the lakes. 

 Some Mallards become so much 

 attached to the reg-ion that thev do 

 not leave even after the lakes are 

 frozen. During- the three weeks 

 spell of zero weather ( January 25 

 to February 16, ( 1895) seventy-five 

 Mallards remained, g"oing- for food 

 into the cornfields of the neighbor- 

 hood, and for water to an air hole 

 in Cuivre Sloug-h, an arm of the 

 Mississippi, at the mouth of Cuivre 

 River. It is not only the food that 

 makes these water-fowl so at- 

 tached to the g-rounds, it is 

 also the tranquility of the reg-ion, 

 the rest which the poor, persecuted birds 

 g-et there. Even during- the heig-ht of 

 the shooting- season several days of each 

 week pass without a shot being- fired on 

 the grounds. 



Other birds besides ducks and g-eese 

 quick in the appreciation of the tranquil 

 and pacific conditions, especially in early 

 April after the close of the duck season, 

 when the lakes have something- the ap- 

 pearance of a zoological g-arden, beaming 

 with bird life. 



For a number of years a troop of about 

 twenty Swans, ( Olor buccinator ] are 

 making one of these lakes a resting- place 

 in their spring- migration and, not being 

 molested, remain for three weeks, the 

 latter part of March and the first of April. 



The Canada Geese are quite at home 

 here for nearly six months, from October 

 till April, and the White-fronted Geese 

 are reg-ular spring and fall visitants, 

 while the Snow, the Blue, and the 

 Hutchins Geese contribute to dispel the 

 monotony of our winter fauna. 



It is nothing- unusual to see eig-ht or 

 nine species of ducks feeding- tog-ether. 



SNOWY OWL, NYCTEA NYCTEA. 

 From Painting by Louis Agassi z Fucrtes. 



a gay and splendid picture, provided often 

 with a fitting frame of sombre-looking- 

 Coots and Grebes. P^rom early April till 

 the last of October, for nearly seven 

 months, the lakes are seldom without a 

 picket of those long--necked and long-- 

 legg^ed sentinels, the Great Blue Heron 

 and the American Eg-ret. They are 

 really g-uardians of the lake population, 

 and to see a few of them leave in haste is 

 a sure indication of the approach of man. 

 Both species breed tog-ether on the islands 

 in the Mississippi, several miles away, 

 but here are their feeding- g-rounds. Ten 

 years ag-o these lakes were dotted from 

 July till September with many hundreds 

 of the beautiful Eg-rets, but, as matters 

 stand now, I am g-lad to report that by 

 actual count 5S were present September 

 2, 189(). 



True sportsmen do not harass any 

 bird not considered g-ame, and unlike the 

 boy and pot hunters they do not shoot all 

 day long-; a few hours of shooting suffice 

 their wants, and after that the birds are 

 allowed to collect ag-ain, and can feed 

 and rest without fear of molestation. 



