150 



THE OOLOGIST 



Fifty Miles by Canoe 

 Crookston, Minnesota, is approxi- 

 mately fifty miles by water down the 

 river from Red Lake Falls, at least 

 that is what the farmers say, although 

 overland by auto the speedometer 

 registers but twenty-two. A look at a 

 detailed map will convince one that it 

 is crooked and a trip by canoe that 

 it is swift. The Red Lake River is 

 the outlet of Red Lake and is the 

 largest stream in Northwestern Min- 

 nesota which drains its water into 

 the Red River of the North at Grand 

 Forks. 



We left Red Lake Falls on the 

 afternoon of June 7, 1917 at 4:35 in 

 a small but well built, sea worthy 

 canoe, our only equipment being a 

 paddle each, a kodak and a recepti- 

 cal for any eggs we should chance to 

 find. The river was one continuous 

 rapids during that afternoon's and 

 evening's travel. We would glide 

 smoothly but swiftly through more 

 quiet waters less strewn with rocks, 

 but every curve necessitated the 

 quick action of our paddles and use 

 of our wits. From one crest to 

 another we shot through on the tops 

 of the highest waves just missing this 

 rock dodging that and possibly scrap- 

 ing a third, and on and on. It was 

 one continuous round of joy. Not un- 

 til our stomachs gave the never fail- 

 ing warning, did we realize it was 

 supper time. We spent a half hour 

 at our hurried repast anxious to get 

 back again to the joy of running the 

 rapids. During our short stop we 

 made a sally into the neighboring 

 woods in search of birds. The banks 

 of the river all along were steep and 

 occasionally perpendicular. Yellow 

 cliffs arose with the ever present 

 overhanging trees giving ideal nights 

 for hawks or a perch for the belted 

 kingfisher. Timber of oak, basswood, 

 ash and poplar lined the shores ex- 



cept where some farm home and 

 pasture came down to the waters edge. 

 We saw catbirds, kingbirds, the uni- 

 versal, untiring song sparrow, as we 

 made the short circuit in the woods 

 close by. 



Further down, the scream of a soar- 

 ing Broad-wing Hawk gave the evi- 

 dence of our proximity to its nest and 

 as we rounded the next bend we 

 sighted it in the top of the tallest 

 among a grove of mammoth trees. It 

 proved to be a basswood and so large 

 around at the base that the combined 

 reach of our outstretched arms could 

 not encircle it. The lowest branch 

 was some twenty-five feet up and al- 

 though we tried to reach this by 

 leaning a dead fallen tree against the 

 other we had to give it up. Towards 

 evening as we were nearing a small 

 store and inland post office where we 

 intended to stop for the night, we 

 sighted a second hawk's nest high up 

 in a leaning elm. It looked like an 

 inhabited nest but the heads of the 

 family seemed to be away. For that 

 reason we hesitated on climbing it, 

 thinking perhaps if it were inhabited 

 the ambitious parents were away after 

 food. However, being disappointed 

 in the other nest we ran the risk and 

 were repaid by the discovery of two 

 Broadwink's eggs. 



We spent the night at Huot. P. O. 

 where the first road bridge spans the 

 river. At six o'clock we were up, and 

 at 6:30 on our way. Four miles by 

 road up the river from Crookston 

 there is a large concrete dam whose 

 power is converted into electrical 

 energy and transmitted over land to 

 the cities of Crookston and Grand 

 Forks. This dam backs the water up 

 for miles and close to the dam has 

 formed a very irregular and at the 

 present time, a badly choked lake, for 

 the back waters have drowned the near 

 by timber of the lower lands and this 



