fa 



suddenly turn tail int.. tin- hole <-r \\ln-n - ii^a^ed in 

 tli. -ir \arioU8 antic*. 'I'ln- eggs of tin- Lin-rowing owl 



By whit.- an. I nearly round . tin- Usual niiml.er 



dthough as many as ten an- frequent 1\ found it, 

 neet.tl IJKI.i):;. Tln-i- \\ al other 



l-urrows in tin- immediate in-i^lil >rhood. l.ut \\ \\ i-r.- .juit- 



tied with >iit- clutch, and we \\.-n- only too glad to m\r 



v t'roin thosr littl- jx-st.s. tin- inos.jiiito.-s, \vln> | M.T 



\i\g arouinl us in myna-lv i;.-|o\v u- l.-t\\.-.n a iiills 



iall >.|oii^li. so \\i- \vi-nt in this dir.-ct ion. anl \ 

 s;ilut.-.l liy a ]>air of \villt-ts. anl at'ti-r son,.- s.-archin- ram. 

 across tin- m-st of four eggs. Tin- t-mrs ,,f this l.inl 

 ITOU nish olivt- ninrkfil with |M!I! spots of \arioiis .sh.-nl.-v ,,f 

 uuil-r In-own and sln-11 markings of purplish <_n-y : tln-\ 

 lar^- for tin- six.- of tin- l.inl. an. I av.-ra^r iM'Jxl .")i>. 



< Mir in-\t tiinl was a in-st of .Mc( 'own s ln^spur. containing 

 four .--^s. ^li-rhtly incul.atf'1. This is a pn-tty -.-t.ainl In-avily 

 niarknl : tin- whit.- L r i'"'in-l colour is almost conccal-<l l.y jmr- 

 plisi ni<l on tin- top of this clou. lino; ar.- ln-avy sj.ots of 



<lark In-own. A marsh hawk was s,-.-n harrying o\,-r tin- 

 prairie, no doiilit on tin- look out for ^opln-rs ; it was an adult 

 inal.- in llu- pluina^f. From a hill-top we could see a Hinall 

 lak-. in-arly two miles away, so \\ .- turn-l in this <lin-ction 

 ami on arriving tln-r.- we t'oiunl tin- surface <lott<-.| all ov.-r with 

 wil<l fowl. Tln-r. \\.'i.- numl.rrs of Canada gees*-, sliov.-llt-i -s 

 mallards, ^odwits. Ann-rican wid^t-ons, scan ps, and othrr ducks 

 Tin- uat.-r \\asalkaliin- much t<> our disgust. l>ut we \\.-reao 

 j-aidn-d with thirst from tin- .-tt'.-ct of tin- l.roilin^ sun. that 



comp.-ll.-d to tak.- a f.-w sips , ,f tin- \\ at.-r. It 

 like nn-dicim-. and is as good AH a do-,,- ,,f Kj.som salts, but if 



uuch is tak.-n it i^rip. - f.-arfully. and John inform, -d un- 

 lit- oner made himself ill through drinking alkalim- water. Tin- 

 alkaline can I..- seen all ov.-r these prairies, coming up through 

 tin- earth like white tloiir. and little vegetation grows ujxni 



alkaline tracts. Tin- l.irds. however don't seem to IH af- 

 and pelicans seem to pivfer tlu- alka- 

 line lakes to those of fresh \\atrr. Thrr. \\ei- a numl-er of 



