THE O0LOG1ST 



51 



before, I was ready and gave it the 

 other charge, striking it in the head 

 and it slowly drifted toward my side, 

 where within reach of the bank I pulled 

 out the finest Loon I ever saw. The re- 

 ports of my gun had scared up many 

 water fowl, and amongst the rest we 

 counted nine Loons, but the one left on 

 the lake whose mate I had shot still 

 clung to his aquan retreat like "grim 

 death to a dead tiger." It was now 

 almost dark and we were 8 or 10 miles 

 from home and did not know the way 

 very well, we left the lakes, hitched 

 Billy and started for home, which we 

 reached between 11 and 12 p. m. and 

 promptly tumbled into bed. 



June 21st. We slept sound after the 

 hard work of yesterday and it was 7. 

 and the sun well up before we awoke, 

 but with all possible haste, we swallow- 

 ed our breakfast acd w«s off for the 

 held again. A substant'al lunch and 

 jug of good home brewed ale, not 

 being the least acceptable part of our 

 outfit, for we booked to make the best 

 of the day. The sun was hot, the sky 

 cloudless and the weather dry. We 

 took the old Indian trail, so as to make 

 the best of the time, and many a fence 

 we had to pull down and replace again 

 before we reached the large bay marsh 

 in which the lakes we sought were 

 situated. Old Billy did his part well 

 and by 9 a. m. we were beside the large 

 lake where we intended to spend our 

 forenoon. We set up our hoat and 

 carried it from the buggy to the water's 

 edge about one-half a mile distant and 

 on the other side of the tract, and as 

 we pushed it into the water I flushed 

 from her nest of 12 eggs, the first Sora 

 Rail I had disturbed this season. I 

 transfered the set to one of my boxes, 

 jumped into the boat and we pushed off. 

 The water was as smooth as a gigantic 

 sheet of glass and at a distance we 

 could see Coot's, Grebes, Ducks and two 

 pair of Loons swimming on the surface. 

 We found Holbcell's Grebe plentiful, and 



found several nests, containing sets and 

 partial sets of from 1 to 6 eggs. One of 

 these nests, the only one I need men- 

 tion especially was made of nothing but 

 roots, stalks and leaves of water lilies, 

 It was a large floating structure in the 

 middle of a lily patch, and was three 

 and a half feet in outside diameter, 

 while the six eggs which it contained 

 were almost cne-haif sunken in water. 

 The bird must have left the nest ss we 

 approached, although we did not see 

 ber, for the eggs were warm and un- 

 covered which sets of grebes usually 

 are not When blown they proved to 

 be pretty well incubated. While we 

 coasted along the shore, we found a 

 number of nest^ of Red- winged Black- 

 birds, but most of these had young, I 

 got a few choice sets however, but as 

 we boated a long narrow spur of the 

 lake, the familiar cry of the Sandhill 

 Crane sounded in our ears and we put 

 for the shore, near where the sound 

 canoe from. I took my gun and start- 

 ed to hunt the heavy end patches in 

 the vicinity, while A. paddled along the 

 shore. After considerable search I 

 flushed the female crane, out could find 

 no nest. She fiew off and joined ber 

 mate, some 100 yards distance oa the 

 prairie. I watched them for some 

 time, and then went back to the shore 

 of the lake. As I broke through the belt 

 of reeds A. informed me he had seen a 

 young crane and showed me where it 

 had disappeared in the reeds. I quick- 

 ly followed but saw nothing of it till 

 I got through the reeds, I glanced 

 arc nd but could see no young crane. 

 But I noticed a female Red-winged 

 Blackbird making dashes every now 

 and then at a place in the long, marsh 

 grass, I ran forward to investigate and 

 found the cause of the commotion wa 

 the young crane, who was squated 

 down on top of an old hay coil that had 

 not been drawn away last year. I 

 quickly captured him, and took him to 

 the boat where Admy awaited me. He 



