482 Lake Maxinkuckee, Physical and Biological S^irvey 



tiny top-minnow to the bluegill, yellow perch, and large-mouthed 

 black bass. And the eggs laid by those which succeed in escaping 

 all their enemies furnish enormous quantities of food to the multi- 

 tude of little fishes hatched during the previous summer, while 

 the eggs that escape hatch sooner or later, and in their new form 

 as Chironomus larvse, supply even greater quantities of delicious 

 food to the fishes of somewhat larger growth, and also to the 

 turtles and young waterdogs in the water, and to various species 

 of birds that feed along the beach. But even this is not all the 

 story. The millions of midges, after having accomplished their 

 only purpose in life by laying billions upon billions of eggs, die, 

 and their dead bodies, falling upon the surface of the lake or upon 

 the land, are eaten by the fishes, birds, small insectivores, or other 

 animals. 



The total number of species of birds noted by us in the immedi- 

 ate vicinity of Lake Maxinkuckee is 175. Doubtless if we could 

 have been at the lake oftener during the spring migrations, the 

 number would have been considerably increased. Only one of us 

 was at the lake during an entire spring, and his time was then so 

 largely taken up by other and more important investigations that 

 little opportunity was left for noting the birds except those associ- 

 ated directly with the lake. 



Of the 175 species, at least 50 are very directly and closely re- 

 lated ecologically to the fishes and other life forms found in the 

 lake. At least 23 other species are more or less directly so re- 

 lated. Of these 73 species many feed directly upon the fishes; a 

 yet larger number feed directly upon the food of the fishes, and 

 still others feed upon insects, plants, etc., which in turn serve as 

 food for other species upon which the fishes feed directly. All of 

 these 73 species are closely associated with the lake itself; they 

 are either strictly aquatic birds, such as ducks, coots, gulls, terns, 

 and the like, or shore birds such as herons, snipe, plover, bitterns, 

 and similar species; or else swallows and the like which fly over 

 and about the lake, feeding upon the insects found there. Then 

 there are the birds of prey, the hawks and owls, some of which 

 prey directly upon the fishes, while others prey upon aquatic birds, 

 such as the ducks and coots. 



As a matter of fact, it is doubtful if there is a single species of 

 bird frequenting this lake or its vicinity that does not exert some 

 influence, however small, upon the life forms of the lake itself. 

 This w^ould be true of any body of water and the birds found 

 about it. 



The number of aquatic and shore birds in the present list is 



