210 



THE OOLOGIST. 



A Tramp Through "Woods and Marshes in 

 Eastern Iowa. 



I awoke at 6.20 ou the morning of the 

 15th of last May and after breakfasting 

 took my collecting box, climbers and 

 wading boots, and started after Geo. W. 

 S., who was to accompany me. He 

 took a 22 riHe and wading boots and we 

 started out. 



After a ride of about four miles on 

 the electric cars and a walk of two 

 more (which was through a marsh) we 

 reached a sawmill on the bank of the 

 Missouri River. There we met my 

 friend, Ike Hamilton, a young logger 

 and millei' who was to accompany us 

 on our trip. We were rowed over the 

 river (then about a mile wide ou account 

 of spring rise) into Iowa. 



We first went to a Broad-winged 

 Hawk's nest which I had seen building 

 or rebuilding a crow's nest two weeks 

 before. When I started up the tree we 

 could hear the Hawks screaming and 

 thought a nice set of eggs was awaiting 

 me at the top, but we were disappoint- 

 ed, as the nest was just finished and no 

 6ggs yet deposited. 



We started north through the trees, 

 our destination being Lee's woods about 

 nine miles awa3^ We did not find any- 

 thing except a crow's nest with five 

 young in, on our way up. After about 

 three miles bad walking through sloughs 

 and woods, we reached the Pigeon 

 Creek which can usually be cleared at a 

 bound, but which was then so swollen 

 by recent rains that it was about 25ft. 

 wide and 15ft. deep in the middle. 



Our woodman companion or logger 

 as I called him before proposed rafting 

 ovei-, and as there were plenty of logs 

 at hand we started to do it. We peeled 

 a lot of willow bark fi'om trees near by 

 and after tying two logs Ave rolled the 

 logs into the water. We took three and 

 pulled them side by side and tied one 

 log across . After tying two long willow 

 withes, end to end, W3 fastened this im- 



provised rope to the raft, so that we 

 could pull the raft back after one had 

 crossed on it. 



Ike got on the raft and poled over 

 and I then pulled the raft back for Geo. 

 to go over. Geo. stepped upon the al- 

 ready shaky i-aft and it went to pieces, 

 George making the quickest move and 

 jump in ten years. (He does not often 

 move quick being 5ft. 5iu. tall and 

 Aveighing 1921bs.) 



Well, there we Avere-, one of our par- 

 ty on one side of the Pigeon and Geoi'ge 

 and myself on the other. We started 

 down the stream to find a place to wade 

 but reached the Missouri river and no 

 ford. 



Ike started up the river bank after a 

 boat to take us across the Pigeon but re- 

 turned in about an hour having found 

 two boats but no oars. He had found 

 out hoAvever, that there was a bridge 

 OA'er the creek about three miles u\) the 

 stream so up Ave started. 



On the way up to the bridge George 

 shot several large Gar, and I killed one 

 Aveighing about eight pounds with a 

 climbing iron. 



We finally, arrived at the bridge and 

 found Ike aAvaiting us as he had taken a 

 short cut through the Avoods and thua 

 had reached there first. 



It Avas then 3 o'clock p. m., and aa'6 

 Avere still four miles from our objective 

 point Avhich Avas a heronry four miles 

 north of Honey Creek Lake, la. 



Our tea bottles Avere long since ex- 

 hausted and Ave were drinking miserable 

 slough Avater,as Ave were A^ery thirsty, but 

 me soon reached a log cabin Avhere a 

 benevolent old lady gave us some riA'er 

 Avater to drink. That riA^er Avater Avas 

 nectar to us although it Avas so muddy 

 you could almost cut it with a knife. 



After re.sting a while Ave started 

 again and in about an hour reached the 

 Buoy Creek Avhere we met an old Ger- 

 man fisherman Avho Avas about to stai't 

 down the river to Avhere Ave came from. 

 We Ijribed him to Avait for us until Ave 



