Lake Maxinkuckee, Physical and Biological Survey 247 



in woodland ponds. At Eagle Lake, sponges were very common 

 about the bulrush stems, forming collars entirely around the stem 

 at various depths below the surface of the water, but this did not 

 occur in Lake Maxinkuckee, the forms of sponge in this lake either 

 growing in flat mats over stones or in long loose strings among 

 the pondweeds. Various insects lay their eggs in great patches 

 around the bulrush stems just at the water surface and the patches 

 off the ice-house were coal black from the layers of eggs deposited 

 on them. The eggs may be those of some species of damsel-fly, but 

 we were unable to see any insect depositing them. The little steel 

 blue damsel-flies of the lake congregate in great numbers on the 

 rushes, forming long series along one side and presenting a peculiar 

 appearance. It is up the stems of these plants that most of the 

 damsel-fly nymphs crawl to the air, and from which they emerge 

 into the adult form and take their first flight. 



There are two well mai-ked forms of the great bulrush — a 

 slender compact dark green form bearing comparatively few seeds, 

 and a more loosely built glaucous form, easily crushed between 

 the fingers and bearing an ample cluster of spikelets. The firm, 

 dark-green form is the one most common about lakes, especially in 

 sandy firm soil, and is almost exclusively the form found at Lake 

 Maxinkuckee. The soft glaucous form is common along stagnant 

 pools and canals. A patch of this form was found down the Outlet 

 and others on the north side of Long Point. At Twin Lakes both 

 forms are quite common, growing side by side and quite distinct, 

 the glaucous form growing more in compact round patches. 



Occasional plants both of Scirpus validus and S. americanus 

 grow in a sort of open corkscrew spiral. This form was not com- 

 mon at Lake Maxinkuckee though quite abundant in some other 

 lakes visited. 



134. DARK-GREEN BULRUSH 



SCIRPUS ATROVIRENS Muhl. 



This plant does not form extensive patches and does not grow 

 at the edge of the lake, as do the species just mentioned. It is 

 more common about the edges of small pools and in wet meadows. 

 A few clumps grew along the road south of Outlet Bay between the 

 road and lake in the tangled jungle-like mass of vegetation. It 

 was found also in low ground near Norris Inlet, and in marshy 

 places on the east side. It was in blossom by June 16, 1901, by 

 Lakeview Hotel, and dead ripe south of Outlet Bay by Sept. 15, 

 1900. The plants at this place had been bitten off by stock and on 

 the culm near the top had produced peculiar bulbs, probably an 



