Winter Birds of Algonquin Park. 145 



calling loudly, and in the evening four, probably the same 

 ones, returned to the lake. Rusty Blackbirds were abundant, 

 and the farmer, a shrewd observer of nature, said he had 

 never before seen them. He knew the Red-wings and 

 Bronzed Crackles, plentiful in the swamp, well. Neither 

 had I seen them here on my frequent visits several years 

 previously. So there can be no doubt that this species, as 

 also the Broad-winged Hawk and Indigo Bunting, are on 

 the increase here. An Osprey was seen carrying a large fish 

 lengthwise, and a Kingbird and Red-wings viciously assault- 

 ing a Great Blue Heron. Along the water's edge and else- 

 where Solitary and Spotted Sandpipers are seen, and here 

 and there a Water-Thrush daintily and measuredly walking 

 under the overhanging bushes. The pike are so voracious 

 that even a poor fiisherman like myself can easily catch a 

 goodly mess by trolling. 



Finally I had to reluctantly leave this fine spot also and 

 drive back to the station and to civilization. If one could 

 only get away from its stress oftener and hie himself away 

 into these places near the heart of nature ! These vacation 

 days spent in the Canadian backwoods will not soon be for- 

 gotten. However, in justice to any prospective sojourners in 

 the Northland, I must also point out the drawbacks, viz. the 

 swarms of mosquitoes, black flies and sand flies, which can 

 make life miserable, which I overcame only with head-net. 

 The roads to such places are bad. But these things are taken 

 into the bargain by the true nature lover and are soon for- 

 gotten. 



THE WINTER BIRDS OF ALCONQUIN PARK, 

 ONTARIO. 



BY ALLEN CLEGHORN. 



Algonquin Park is one of the national parks of- Ontario. 

 It is situated about 200 miles north of Toronto and has been 

 under government supervision for twenty years. It consists 

 of over 2,000,000 acres (roughly speaking, about 45x50 miles) 



