THE O0LOG-1ST. 



173 



one was familiar with the appearanee 

 of the damp shiftless structure. Even 

 our practical eyes could detect nothing 

 which could prove that the slight hol- 

 low had held eggs as yet, but the 

 chances were, that some one had been 

 •there before us. 



Now, rather tired we pulled for 

 shore, trolling on the way and landing 

 a large black bass. We next struck 

 out for Pleasant Lake, a beautiful sheet 

 of clear water. A row of ten minutes 

 from the wharf brought us to the bog 

 where I had taken eggs the year prev- 

 ious, aud three years before. We were 

 not disappointed this trip, as the nest 

 held two tinely colored eggs with well 

 defined, specks, mostly at the larger 

 end. The ground color was emphatical- 

 ly different from the general run of 

 eggs, being of a greenish tinge quite un- 

 like anything which I have ever seen. 

 Still I think the same bird laid them 

 that laid on the bog before. I reasoned 

 this way from the markings rather than 

 from the ground color, as I have often 

 had it demonstrated to me with the 

 eggs of the Buteoes. The eggs, long and 

 generally almost exactly illiptical lie 

 side by side at about three-fifths of the 

 length of the nest from the front. This 

 is undoubtedly to accomodate the cap- 

 acity of the old bird to properly iucub- 

 ate them. The bird having along boat 

 like body the abdomen is necessarily 

 well back from a center. 



Carefully blowing aud packing our 

 treasures which proved fresh, we next 

 hustled over to Wall Lake, where we 

 were to camp for the night. Pitching 

 •our little shelter tent in a clump of 

 trees near the lake shore, we soon had 

 the frying pan sizzling and a grand dis- 

 play of beautifully browned bass laid 

 out for hungry boys. We sat down to 

 a l'epast, which though not served iu 

 style, at least answered the purpose. 

 The manner in which the bacon and 

 and eggs, fried fish and coffee disap- 

 peared, was .ample pi-oof that tin plate 



service was all that was required. The 

 Loons kept up their quavering clatter 

 and weird hullabaloo while we were at 

 our repast, and Raloh became so rattled 

 that he at last choked and had to stop 

 eating. He claimed that he had chok- 

 ed on a bone, but I sincerely think he 

 was so stuffed as to be unable to swal- 

 low another mouthful. 



After supper, or as we called it our 

 eight o'clock dinner, we made the horse 

 O. K. for the night, and then my com- 

 panion, who insisted, that the Loons 

 were mocking us, and during us to 

 come on the iake, said that we must 

 get one more set of eggs in order to 

 sleep well. He went to a neighboring 

 farm house and secured a boat, aud 

 though it was getting dark insisted on 

 our going out. 



We knew about where to go, and 

 striking off just out from the reedy 

 shore, not over a quarter of a mile was 

 covered, when we had set of eggs num- 

 ber two in our hands. We saw the old 

 Loon slide off of the eggs when we 

 were twenty rods or more away. She 

 kept about the spot, often coming with- 

 in eight or ten rods of us and frequent- 

 ly uttering the weird quavering notes. 

 This seemed to be the method of com- 

 munication, call notes if we wish to 

 term them so. The mate which we had 

 not seen before in the gathering dark- 

 ness, now appeared aud the pair con- 

 versed in Loon language, driving about 

 us and evidently anxious for our de- 

 parture. 



Ralph fired at the birds several times 

 not with any idea of hitting them, but 

 as he said just to keep his hand in at 

 missing them. It is perfectly idle to 

 shoot at a Loon or diver of any kind 

 when they are aware of your presence. 

 They can dive at the flash every time 

 and get away. The only means of se- 

 curing one is to surround it which is ex- 

 tremely difficult, and while the alert 

 bird is watching one gunner, a shot 

 from another may possibly lay it low. 



