24 



THE OOLOGIST. 



After picketing out the team and 

 taking a very cursory glance at the fine 

 scenery to be viewed from this point 

 we started to wade; before long a fe- 

 male Mallard llew from a bunch of 

 rushes and Doctor being nearest secur- 

 ed the three eggs which were in her 

 nest. Soon a Coot emerged from the 

 rushes and again Doctor scored secur- 

 ing one egg, in a few minutes I had 

 come across a nest of the Red -winged 

 Blackbird and from this time on their 

 bright cheery note was to l)e heard 

 throughout the day and we each secur- 

 ed a tine set before evening. 



When we arrived opposite the island 

 where w^e expected to find the Goose 

 nest Doctor waded towards it and was 

 soon up to his armpits; on arrival no 

 Goose eggs were to be found but a Loon's 

 nest and one egg, which having secured 

 the return through the deep was made. 

 After wading a short distance further. 

 Doctor found nest and three eg?s of the 

 Pied-billed Grebe; then having secured 

 only my set of Red-winged Blackbird's 

 my mercury went down to zero and I 

 began to think that perhaps after all 

 bird nesting was a wicked pursuit. 



After completing the circuit of this 

 first lake, we wended our way to the 

 next, somewhat larger, but with fewer 

 rushes and having skirted along its 

 shore for a few hundred yards, we saw 

 through an opening in the hills a chain 

 of sloughs and small lakes; we left the 

 large sheet for later exploration and 

 went the rounds of the new lot; we 

 found no eggs, but saw a pair each of 

 Wilson's Phalarope and Mallard and 

 several pairs of Killdeer, but were too 

 early-for the first and last and the Mal- 

 lards Hew off in the direction of the 

 large lake we had just left. 



Our guide now proposed a trip to a 

 long narrow lake further west where 

 (he said) there were lots of ducks and 

 geese nesting, but after a long and 

 wearisome walk over hills and through 

 sloughs and nearly getting into a mus- 



keg, he was compelled to own up lo 

 being at fault and so we set out, tired, 

 hot and hungry for the second lake we 

 had visited, arrived there we dispatch- 

 ed the boy for the lunch basket and sat 

 down to rest and blow oui- take, chiefly 

 the former in my case. 



Soon the lunch arrived and after dis- 

 cussing it we Sfct out to tiuish the large 

 lake, soon I spied a pair of Loons on the 

 water and on going forward a short 

 distance 1 saw a conical heap of rushes 

 bearing a depression at the top, a little 

 nearer and 1 could see the eggs and 

 with a i>hout I plunged through the in- 

 tervening water with mucli splashing 

 and soon had the two beauties iu hand. 

 You who have had similar exper- 

 iences can sympathize with me and 

 realize the thrill of delight that shot 

 through me as 1 gazed on my prize, 

 perhaps not to be considered so by a 

 veteran, but to the beginner, well you 

 know how it is yourself! We secured 

 nothing further at this lake but saw a 

 pair of Canada Geese on the far side. 



On the way to the remainder of the 

 lakes, which are much smaller and all 

 in one valley, we passed through an old 

 beaver meadow, which required five 

 dams of a total length of about 200 

 yards, to make the necessary pond, 

 which however was now deserted and 

 dry. But I digress— we soon reached a 

 tine reed_y lake and the Doctor started 

 for a large clump of reeds near the cen- 

 ter of it while I kept wellinshore, after 

 wading nearly half way around I saw a 

 large nest built amongst the rushes; it 

 was about three and a half feet in diam- 

 eter at the bottom, nearly a foot high 

 and a good two feet across the top and 

 to my unaccustomed eye an old one and 

 empty, however as I drew near to take 

 a closer look at its structure, intending 

 to ask Doctor as to its identity, I caught 

 sight of a white gleam and soon had the 

 old rushes off, disclosing four eggs of 

 the Canada Goose which I was enabled 

 to identify by the arrival of the owners. 



