Lake Maxinkuckee, Physical and Biological Survey 147 



of the airhole in the form of long plume-like or feathery objects. 

 Indeed, on one occasion after Lost Lake had entirely frozen over, a 

 dense steam arose from the surface of the ice and much of it 

 congealed in the shape of long, feathery crystals. 



Hoar-frost, which is frequent in all locations where there are 

 large, exposed bodies of water such as near Lake Michigan and 

 the Mississippi River, is of rather frequent occurrence at Lake Max- 

 inkuckee and occasionally appears in great beauty, coating trees 

 thickly and entirely with long, needle-shaped crystals almost an 

 inch long. The rising sun melts the bases of the crystals first and 

 the awakening morning breezes stirring among the bejewelled 

 branches shake the frost crystals down in great multitudes, reduc- 

 ing the tree in a moment from one of the most magnificent spec- 

 tacles to one quite commonplace, but producing for the moment a 

 cataract of sparkling crystals as indescribably splendid as it is 

 evanescent. 



Frosts affect the life of the lake in various ways and through 

 various channels. One of the first and very interesting effects is 

 that of a decided change in the methods of the anglers. During 

 late summer and early fall grasshoppers constitute the principal 

 and most popular bait used by the anglers. As the season ad- 

 vances grasshoppers gain in popularity so long as readily obtain- 

 able. It is only when the first frosts have come and chilled the 

 grasshoppers so that they can no longer be easily found that the 

 anglers abandon their use and turn to other lures. 



Then, again, the early frosts kill down the patches of delicate 

 vegetation such as touch-me-nots, Eleocharis interstincta, etc., and 

 affect the Scirpus and other aquatic plants that extend above the 

 surface of the water thus killing or driving away the various in- 

 sects that live upon or frequent such plants. The same frosts act 

 in the same way on the marsh vegetation along the shore and the 

 trees and shrubs which overhang the banks. The quantity of in- 

 sect life living upon, in, or with this vegetation and which falls 

 into the lake with the falling leaves or on account of the chill, or 

 which is driven away every year, is enormous. 



SNOW 

 INTRODUCTION 



Our record of snowstorms, extending from March, 1899, to 

 February 1, 1914, with important omissions for some years, makes 

 mention of 194 snowstorms, varying in all degrees of intensity from 



