Lake Maxinkuckee, Physical and Biological Survey 149 



posed to stay on longer, most likely because the snowstorms from 

 that direction are more persistent and heavier. 



Forms of snoiv: — One of the most common forms of snow at 

 the lake is that of firm, white, little pellets like minute snowballs, 

 a sort of form somewhat intermediate between genuine snow and 

 sleet, and coming down with considerable force and directness; 

 this may harden at times into genuine icy cutting sleet. This 

 pellet snow contains more water and less enmeshed air than the 

 feathery flakes, and it packs more tightly, an inch of it being 

 equivalent to 2 or 3 inches of the lighter snow. The feathery 

 flakes are common, especially in little snow flurries. The loose 

 flakes, sometimes adhering in large masses, are the common forms 

 in the great snowstorms which result in the deeper snows. 



The following is the record of the snows for the winter of 

 1900-1901, the year for which there is a complete set of observa- 

 tions. The first snow of the winter, as given above, was on the 

 night of November 7, when a rain, which began at 8 o'clock in the 

 evening, changed into snow. It snowed the next night nearly all 

 night giving a total snowfall of 3 inches. From this time on, snow- 

 storms were of frequent occurrence, there being 11 in November, 

 9 in December, 16 in January, 13 in February, 11 in March and 

 2 in April. The last well-marked storm, that of April, was un- 

 usually unseasonable; the hazel and many other plants were fully 

 in bloom, and the tender verdure of spring, just beginning to put 

 forth, was covered f of an inch with fluffy, sticky snow. No harm 

 to vegetation was caused, however, as the weather was fairly warm 

 and the snow soon melted off. The early snow of October 10, 1906, 

 was still more unseasonable and striking in its effects, though not 

 so much damage resulted as would have been the result of a single 

 light frost. It had snowed heavily during the night and continued 

 until 10 a. m., part of the time the snow coming down in remark- 

 ably large masses composed of adhering flakes. It took the birds 

 entirely by surprise. A flock of tree swallows twittered musically 

 from the snowclad telephone wires, and crickets were chirping 

 underneath the snow. The houseflies, which were still present 

 in considerable abundance out of doors, settled thickly on the 

 windov/ screens of the hotel, and the yellow-rumped warblers, then 

 migrating, alighted on the screens and ate the flies. At one time 

 there were 3 of the warblers on a window screen at the same time. 

 About all the unoccupied cottages around the lake these warblers 

 took refuge on the porches underneath the roof as if semi-domesti- 

 cated. The golden-crowned kinglets, like the warblers, took refuge 



