A June Trip to Pocono Lake, Monroe County, 

 Pennsylvania 



BY JOHN D. CARTER 



Most of the ornithological notes from the Pocono Lake region, 

 including those published in a previous issue of Cassinia, have 

 been made near the close of the nesting-season. An occasional 

 nest of Hermit Thrush and Junco, and a very interesting family 

 of Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers were reported, but it seemed prob- 

 able that a search made earlier in the season would yield more 

 complete results. With this end in view four members of the 

 D. V. 0. C, Wm. L. Baily, Wm. B. Evans, Witmer Stone and 

 the writer, accompanied by an interested friend, readied the 

 lake on the afternoon of the 15th of 6th month (June), 1906. 



The character of the lake and the country surrounding it 

 have already been sufficiently described. On arriving at the 

 boat landing we were quite surprised to see instead of the usual 

 expanse of water only the narrow Tobyhanna winding its way 

 among a profusion of blackened stumps. The explanation of 

 this was that the owners of the lake had opened the dam-gates 

 and allowed most of the water to escape, in order to remove 

 rubbish from the shores. After photographing a Kingbird's 

 nest and eggs, and looking in vain for those of the Alder 

 Flycatcher, the party reached the cabin at the foot of the lake 

 before nightfall. 



A bivouac under the silent stars sounds very romantic and 

 sometimes works very well, but we were thankful to have a 

 civilized roof over our heads, for before morning a cold mist be- 

 gan to drive across the lake, — a mild hint of what was in store 

 for us. According to agreement the writer, who slept on the 

 porch, wakened those inside to hear the boo-hoo hoo-hoo of a 

 Great Horned Owl, but their drowsy ears had difficultv in dis- 



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