24 



THE NIDIOLOGIST. 



eggs, almost hatched. The nest was a 

 beautiful one, of down, and was built in a 

 heavy patch of scrub poplars. Both birds 

 were flying around close to me in great dis- 

 tress, feig:ning a broken wing or leg. I 

 know of no other recorded instance of the 

 kind of the Duck family resorting to this 

 duplicity to protect their eggs. I left the 

 nest and eggs for the birds to take care of. 



A Field Plover's nest was my next find. 

 Nest was a light affair of dried grass, placed 

 in the thin grass. The birds were imitating 

 lameness, and tried to draw off my atten- 

 tion, but I was not to be drawn this time, 

 The nest contained four beautiful eggs, 

 about half incubated. I succeeded in sav- 

 ing them for my cabinet. I then drove 

 over to the bluffs. A bluff in Manitoba 

 parlance signifies a collection of trees grown 

 on an elevated ridge of land. I hoped to 

 find a few Hawks' nests, but was unsuc- 

 cessful, as all of the nests were empty and 

 no Hawks were in sight. I found a Tree 

 Swallows nest in a hole in an oak tree, 

 about 20 feet above the ground. 



On the south side of the blufi" I found 

 quite a marsh. Part of it had been burned 

 recently, and I found a Pintail's deserted 

 nest containing 3 scorched eggs. A little 

 farther on I found a colony of Black Terns 

 and collected a number of sets of their 

 eggs. 



As the day was hot and the horse showed 

 signs of fatigue, I turned his head in the 

 direction of home. On the way back I saw 

 a number of Marbled Godwits, but could 

 not find their nests. 



Arriving at the house about five o'clock 

 I found Mr. Walter Raine awaiting me. 

 He had arrived on the afternoon train and 

 was anxious to begin work at once. 



After showing him what I had collected 

 we started out together, dragging a rope 

 about twenty feet long. We were not 

 long in flushing a Blue-winged Teal from 

 her nest of twelve eggs. This with a few 

 Blackbird's eggs was all we found. 



We arranged together to drive to Shoal 



Lake the next morning, a distance of about 

 twenty miles, and hired two boys with their 

 wagon and train to accompany us and re- 

 main a few days with us. 



The land around Long Lake and Reab 

 burn is alkaline, and much of it is low and 

 swampy. This, with the banks and ele- 

 vated land, clothed with thick prairie grass, 

 affords an excellent nesting place for Ducks, 

 Plover, Grouse, Bitterns, and other birds. 

 The water is of course alkaline, and unfit 

 for drinking purposes. The agent and sec- 

 tion men at the station get a barrel of drink- 

 ing water every day from Winnipeg. The 

 jand is very thinly peopled, and the wild 

 fowl are not molested very much during the 

 breeding season, except by a few half- 

 breeds who collect Ducks' and Grebes' eggs 

 for eating purposes. 



The only fish found in Long Lake are the 

 Pike family. The water had a disagreeable 

 greenish color, and although I longed for a 

 bath each day, I took but one and wanted 

 no more. The slime and moss were too 

 much for my nerves. 



I found Leconte's Sparrows not at all 

 scarce and searched very diligently for their 

 nests, at all times, as one of my objects in 

 stopping off at Reaburn was to take a set or 

 two of their eggs. 



Success crowned my efforts but once- 

 The birds are very easily identified, as thev 

 are quite tame and allow a clo.se approach. 

 One hot afternoon I started off with one of 

 the section men to hunt for Phalaropes' and 

 Sparrows' nests. I worked very diligently 

 for some four hours, flushed quite a few 

 birds in the long grass, but was unable to 

 locate the nests. 



About six o'clock I flushed a male Le 

 conte's Sparrow and carefully marked the 

 spot. After a thorough search I was about 

 to give up the task in despair, when out o^ 

 the grass, at my feet, flew the female, and 

 I found her nest and four beautiful eggs. 



The nest was built in the long prairie 

 grass, on the side of a ridge of elevated 



