92 Bird-Nestiry 



built in trees, made of sticks, etc. This is the smallest of 

 European owls. The American bird is considered a geographi- 

 cal race of nyetala tenymalmi of Europe, as ascertained by 

 Mrs. Ridge way's studies. It differs from its congener, just as 

 the American hawk owl does in an excess of darker colours 

 of its plumage. 



But to resume our journey, I ascended the hilly prairie and 

 examined several deep ravines, called coulees, for I thought it 

 probable that the prairie falcon and Ferruginous' rough- 

 legged hawk might be nesting on the sides of some of these 

 ravines, but in this I was disappointed. On reaching the 

 summit of the long, elevated ridge south of Rush Lake, I ex- 

 pected to find a valley on the other side, but instead I found 

 a hollow basin and another ridge beyond that. I ascended 

 the next ridge and found still another hollow beyond that, I 

 walked for over a mile on those rolling hills of prairie, but 

 found it very monotonous. This track stretches for two 

 hundred miles to Montana, and not a tree or scarcely a shrub 

 is to be found in this wilderness. The hills are simply covered 

 with short grass, and'have a barren appearance : neither was 

 there a bird or any living creature to be seen. Over this vast 

 track of rolling prairie silence as of the grave reigns supreme 

 from morning until night, and the spirits of the most buoyant 

 traveller sink as he wanders deeper and deeper into this ter- 

 rible silence. A strange, lonely feeling came over me, caused 

 by this dead silence and the strangely barren surroundings, 

 so I turned back and descended into Rush Lake Valley. I 

 flushed a marsh harrier off its nest, but was disappointed to 

 find it empty. This nest was composed of rushes and grass, 

 circular shaped, and built on the ground, the material standing 

 about four inches high, and the centre hollowed somewhat. 

 I came across a stream that flowed between the hills, and 

 followed it in its descent to the valley ; on reaching the level 

 prairie, the stream became deeper, and rushes commenced to 

 grow along its banks, and ducks again began to be numerous. 

 I flushed a number from this creek, but most of them had 

 young ones, the only nest I found was that of the green- 



