6y 



were driven away by gunners and did not again appear. An 

 occasional troop of cormorants was seen, a single blue heron, a 

 dab chick {PodUymhus i^odiceps), and two half-grown ducks, 

 one of which was brought in by the seine. When the wild 

 grapes ripened, the bottom-land was invaded by a good many 

 of the smaller birds which were not often seen there before. 

 Among these, robins, red-headed woodpeckers, and blue jays 

 were conspicuous, though I cannot say that the two latter were 

 attracted by the grapes. One other bird deserves mention as, 

 from the numbers in which it occurs, it must have an import- 

 ant influence upon the insect life of the waters. Certain parts 

 of the bluff presented extensive vertical surfaces of exposed 

 clay, and bank swallows, in great numbers, had excavated bur- 

 rows in this for nests. In places these exposed surfaces were honey- 

 combed with the burrows. During quiet afternoons and evenings 

 the swallows spent a good deal of time skimming the surface of 

 the water of the neighborhood. Among them was noted occa- 

 sionally, the white-billed swallow (Tachycineia bicoJor); but most, 

 seemed to be the bank swallow {Clivicola 7'iparia). There can be 

 no doubt that the destruction of winged insects from the water by 

 the hundreds of swallows annually reared in these banks is very 

 great. 



EEPTILES. 



With one exception, serpents, even of the aquatic kinds, were not 

 seen. I presume they are not able to maintain themselves on 

 the bottom-land during inundations. A single Regina leberis was 

 seen for several days lurking about fish boxes at the head- 

 quarters of the Fish Commission. The absence of vegetation may 

 also have had something to do with the absence of serpents, since 

 they prefer places in which they are not so completely exposed to 

 observation. The locality was certainly calculated to furnish an 

 abundance of food to the fish-eating species. 



Turtles were present in great numbers. They were especially 

 common in the more retired pools when these were first visited. 

 Subsequent visits showed them in diminished numbers, either 

 from their having migrated, or having learned to avoid the seine 

 by burrowing in the mud. The egg-laying season was aj^par- 

 ently past, so that no opportunity offered for studying the breed- 

 ing habits of the species. I am informed that the eggs are some- 

 times gathered from sandy shores by hundreds, and used as food. 



The following brief list includes most of the species of Chelonia 

 which occur in Illinois. Doubtless some of the other Illinois species 

 will • also be found here when the locality is more thoroughly 

 explored. 



Painted turtle {Cln-yscmys belli, Gray). 



This turtle was rather common in the sloughs, but was not 

 seen elsewhere. Adults are not easily distinguished from tlie re- 

 lated C. marginaia; but I believe none of the latter occurred in 

 the sloughs. 



