AMONG THE WatTER FowL 
beautiful, they are interesting in being illusive. All 
over the prairies they straggle, in small groups or 
in large: flocks; The ‘settlers call them) ~‘Prate 
Pigeons,’’ and I know of no more unique and 
beautiful sight than to see a small army of them 
follow the farmer as he ploughs, dropping into the 
newly turned furrow behind him like snow-flakes, 
to pick up the worms and grubs that are exposed 
to view. In places, especially near their breeding 
grounds, I have seen the prairie fairly white with 
them. 
But their breeding grounds ?—that is the ques- 
tion. It is their habit, according -to “accounts: 
to congregate in immense numbers in some large 
shallow lake and build floating nests amid the 
grass and reeds that grow out of the water. There 
are certainly not many of these colonies within 
our borders. There may not be more than ome 
or two in all Dakota, in spite of the fact that so 
many birds are wandering about. Many a time I 
have watched them as they came drifting over the 
prairie, ever on the move, and have longed to 
know whither they were journeying. I could not 
locate their breeding ground from the direction of 
their flight, so I wrote to different parts of the state, 
and questioned every Indian or hunter that I met, 
but it was of no use. 
At length, through hearsay and rumor, I traced 
out the fact that a year or two before great num- 
bers: of these Gulls had’ nested im’ “adlargce deep 
slough, north of Devil’s Lake. The Sioux Indians, 
it was said, were accustomed to go there and cart 
away eggs by the bushel. I reached the spot after 
158 
