THE PRAIRIES 321 



babel of bird notes that one could imagine all the birds of 

 the lake were in convention there. The Coots were responsi- 

 ble for much of this noise, but the yellow-heads were not far 

 behind them, while the loud grating whistle of the Western 

 Grebe, the sonorous kow-kowing of the Pied-billed Grebe, 

 and other weird, unidentified calls, produced an indescriba- 

 ble and altogether delightful ensemble. 



Although there was no marked, sultry, noonday period 

 and birds could be seen in numbers from daylight to dark, 

 comparative quiet reigned in the reeds during the day ; but 

 toward sunset the convention reassembled, to resume the 

 morning's discussion in a session which lasted until ten 

 o 'clock. The birds ' day was therefore between eighteen and 

 nineteen hours in length. Grackles were seen feeding their 

 young as late as half -past nine, and one asks whether the 

 greater amount of food consumed per day does not increase 

 the rapidity of the young bird 's growth and shorten its stay 

 in the nest. 



A walk of fifty yards from our tent toward the lake, 

 which was distant about three hundred yards, brought one 

 into the taller grasses of the slightly lower ground. This 

 was the home of Wilson's Phalarope, a new bird to me and 

 one which, because of its peculiar marital customs, I observ- 

 ed with no little interest. On my appearance, one or two of 

 these birds invariably flew about me with a slow, jerky, halt- 

 ing flight and sinuous movement of the neck, as it uttered a 

 soft quok. Usually the female took the lead, the male fol- 

 lowing. This pair of birds, I believe, had young hiding in 

 the dense grasses, but on June 15, 1 found a nest with four 

 eggs, which on the 19th were within a few days of hatching. 

 The male, as usual, incubated, unaided, but it was evident 

 that the female had a keen interest in the welfare of her 

 home, in spite of her unmaternal habits, and on every occa- 

 sion when the male was flushed from the eggs and fluttered 

 off over the grass, he was joined by his mate who showed 

 her interest by flying anxiously about me. These females, 



