330 The Wilson Bulletin — No. 90 



material. And how he does know the Mammals and Birds, 

 the Insects and other animals of this region ! Truly it was a 

 revelation within itself to listen to this man and many thanks 

 do I owe him for directing me and helping me in my work 

 while out there. The University of Wyoming owes much to 

 him indeed ! 



June 4th and the 6th found me out on the open prai-rie with 

 Rev. Wichmann on a trip to Howell's Lakes. As we were 

 driving over the barren waste to the northwest, flocks of Wil- 

 son's Phalaropes whirled over us from one side of the road 

 to the other, and jackrabbits scampered along in unnecessary 

 haste. All of a sudden from ac-ross the river there came a 

 piercing scream and a powerful bird hurled itself into the air 

 from a wall of old battlements and weather-scarred rocks. 

 Straight at us he seemed to come with incredible swiftness. 

 Over our heads he went like a thunderbolt and perhaps 200 

 meters away a poor Meadowlark was picked up by him, then 

 a swoop upwards, another wild scream and like a meteor he 

 vanished About half an hour later and again the air was 

 rent with this cruel scream. It seemed to breathe the un- 

 bridled spirit of this wilderness, which has its charms after 

 all, and which all things here appear to be inspired with. It 

 is in the wild winds of these steppes, in the grand and jum- 

 bled rocks, in the indestructible mountain grass, in the intense 

 colors of the flowers, in the eagle's lofty flight, in the Ante- 

 lope's fleeting form, in the coyote's doleful howl, in fact in 

 everything,, but nothing expresses it better than the Prairie 

 Falcon's riotous, unrestrained scream, the gleaming ferocity 

 of his eye and the unerring swoop of his mighty pinions. 

 That is the charm of this region ; this spirit of freedom and 

 liberty. How ignoble a Swainson's Hawk appeared sitting 

 on the earth mound of a Prairiedog, and yet we know how 

 much more useful this ignoble bird is than the Prairie Falcon, 

 that robber-knight in feathers ! 



At last we reached the Howell's lakes. I walked around 

 two lakes, three lakes, four lakes and not a bird in sight, 

 nothing but sage and jackrabbits. Then we drove home and 



