The Season 



311 



bulrushes, and coarse grass, and producing 

 an abundant crop of wild celery each year. 

 It has long been famous for the large 

 numbers of water-birds that breed there 

 and still larger numbers that congregate 

 there in the spring and fall during migra- 

 tion. Many species of ducks formerly 

 bred there, but of late years they have been 

 greatly reduced both in kinds and individ- 

 uals. The species found this year were the 

 Blue-winged Teal, Mallard, Pintail, Red- 

 head, Wood Duck, Hooded Merganser, a 

 single pair of Ruddy Ducks, and one each 

 of the Lesser Scaup and Green- winged 

 Teal, the frequency of their occurrence 

 being about in the order given. None was 

 really common. The high water had des- 

 troyed the nests and no young birds were 

 seen. The Ruddy Duck was once abundant 

 and the cause of its disappearance is a 

 mystery. While a few of the Wood Ducks 

 and Hooded Mergansers probably nest 

 in some of the scarce willow stubs about 

 the lake, it appears certain that they resort, 

 for the most part, to cavities in the low 

 banks of the willow-fringed tributary 

 streams. One Wood Duck's nest has been 

 found thus situated. 



A male Wood Duck that was about one- 

 half molted into the eclipse plumage was 

 shot on June 23, and a Mallard on June 

 24, in the same condition. Both were a- 

 wing. This seems surprisingly early for 

 this change to occur. It apparently takes 

 place slowly and anticipates the loss of 

 the flight feathers. 



Coots and Florida GalUnules were 

 abundant and at this time had both fresh 

 eggs and small young. The King and 

 Virginia Rails were frequent, but, strange 

 to say, the usually abundant Sora was not 

 seen. Franklin's Gull and the Black- 

 crowned Night Heron were present in their 

 usual great abundance. The high water 

 had played sad havoc with their nests, 

 which, for the most part, were afloat and 

 in various stages of ruin. The Gulls had 

 small downy young and the Herons had 

 young in all stages of growth, some being 

 almost full-grown. They were having a sad 

 time in the water-logged nests, swishing 

 around high up among the tops of the quill 



reeds. Forster's Terns were abundant and 

 had small young. Pied-billed Grebes were 

 less numerous than usual. No Eared, 

 Holboell's or Western Grebes were seen. 

 The Least Bittern was common, more so 

 than the larger species. Several Wilson's 

 Phalaropes were seen. The guides said 

 there had been a large flight of shore-birds 

 in the spring, but nothing of special inter- 

 est was seen at this time. 



The duck-shooting has been poor at 

 Heron Lake for the past two seasons, 

 especially last fall. 



Itasca State Park. — July 3 to August 15. 

 A change of residence on July 3 from 

 Minneapolis to Lake Itasca was a move 

 from the Alleghanian Fauna of the Transi- 

 tion Zone to typical Canadian. Itasca 

 Park is a state reservation, seven miles 

 square, lying a little north of the latitude 

 of Duluth (47°) and not far from the 

 western edge of the Minnesota Canadian. 

 It contains the headwaters of the Mississ- 

 ippi River and is a wild, rough, wooded 

 region, full of lakes, marshes, and spring- 

 runs and is inhabited by more wild creatures 

 than any like area in the state at present. 

 It was established by the state legislature, 

 with the cooperation of Congress, in 1891. 

 It is remote from any railroad, but of 

 recent years has become the summer Mecca 

 of hundreds of automobilists who are in 

 quest of a sight of the wilderness or wish to 

 gaze upon the birthplace of the Father of 

 Waters. There are still standing, rescued 

 from the lumberman, groves of stately 

 Norway and white pines, extensive jack 

 pine woods, clusters of trim spruces and 

 fragrant balsams, thousands of glistening 

 birches and rusty-leaved balm of gilead 

 poplars, with all the associated vegeta- 

 tion of a northern forest. Here many of 

 the birds that pass through the southern 

 part of the state as migrants are found in 

 their home surroundings. The Hermit 

 Thrush is common and an occasional pair 

 of Olive-backs, satisfied with the environ- 

 ment, drop out from the more northward 

 movement of the most of their kind. The 

 curious song of the Blue-headed Vireo rings 

 through the pines. The OHve-sided Fly- 

 catcher utters its harsh double note and 



