NOTES OF AN EGGING EXPEDITION TO SHOAL LAKE. 429 



some short intervals, continued during the following day. The third day was 

 dry and clear. In the evening our hunters returned, bringing ducks, grebes, 

 and eggs in abundance. On their arrival at the hunting ground they were not 

 a little surprised to find others there before them. These people were from 

 Manitowaba lake, having transported their little dug-out canoes on carts drawn 

 by oxen over the very ground which our Indian friend had represented as one 

 continuous quagmire. However, as we had already made a good beginning, Ave 

 decided on remaining where we were, and extended our excursions thence. As 

 soon as we had skinned our birds and emptied their eggs we took to the lake for 

 more, which operation we repeated from day to day, until we had secured a con- 

 sideralde number of specimens. 



The annual resort of the Podiceps ocddcnfalis to Shoal lake is, as has been 

 obsen^ed, ''remarkable." From tlie most reliable information that I could obtain 

 from ihe Indians at this place, it has never been seen on the lied river, nor on Lake 

 "Winnipeg ; and I never heard of its having been seen anywhere in what is com- 

 monly known as Kupert's Land, except at Shoal lake and Manitowaba ; and I 

 may add that it is also remarkal)le that there are very few grebes to be found in 

 any other of the bays connected with the lake, althougli all these bays abound 

 in reeds and rushes. Possibly these birds prefer the bay on the north point, on 

 account of its being sheltered from the wind ; and probably a greater facility for 

 obtaining food in that locality may influence them in the choice they make. I 

 am inclined to think that the large grebes feed on aquatic plants. I opened 

 several of their gizzards and found nothing in them but grass. The western 

 grebes, when seen in groups on the smooth, unruffled waters of the lake, make 

 a splendid appearance, sometimes raising themselves out of the water and flap- 

 ping their wings, their white breasts glistening in the sun like silver. Thc}^ are 

 not timorous, but Avhen alarmed they sink their bodies in the Avater, and if the 

 object of then- fear still presents itself they plunge head foremost and dive, and 

 continue a long time under the Avater, often disappointing the expectations of their 

 pursuers by reappearing in a different direction from that anticipated. They 

 make their nests among the reeds, on the bent bulrushes of the last season ; the 

 frame or outer Avork is of reeds and lined Avith grass from the bottom and reed 

 leaves. The nest is nearly on a IcA^el Avith the surrounding water, and may be 

 said to float at its " moorings," held there by the reeds. We found hundreds of 

 tliese nests, containing tAvo, three, and four eggs each ; I believe six to be the 

 highest number Ave found in any onp. We took 13 grebes, of Avhich the males 

 Avere larger than the females ; the largest males measured before skinning, 21^ 

 by 36^ inches, and 14 inches round the body at the heads of the Avings. The 

 largest female measured 24A^ by 32^ inches. We shot not a few of them in the 

 act of leaving their nests, and most of them on being skinned proved to be 

 males ; Avliich fact inclines me to believe that the male bird takes his turn in 

 sitting on the eggs. 



The Podiceps aurcdns are very numerous in this bay. They make their nests 

 on the bulrushes, composed of the same material. We found as many as six 

 eggs in some nests, but in the greater number of nests only four. They are A'ery 

 shy and expert di\'ers ; are very common on the Red river, and breed in the 

 marshes near the lake. 



I may here observe that great numbers of night-herons breed here. They fix 

 their nests to the reeds eight or nine inches aboA'e the Avater, and deposit in each 

 four or five roundish, blue eggs. I think this is the only place in Rupert's Land 

 Avhere this species is found. We gave them the ''go-by" last summer. The 

 Indians call them kitche-geskman, i. e., big king-fisher. 



Ducks and their nests are found everyAA'here round the lake. The ruddy duck 

 is sometimes found in swamps near this river, but they are more immerous at 

 Shoal lake and ManitoAAaba. 



There are numbers of terns breeding annually at Shoal lake — some of them 



