THE OOLOGIST 



89 



the free of spirit, the inhabitant of 

 the open air, the children of nature. 

 The next morning saw us up with 

 the sun for we were trying to run on 

 schedule time; that is we planned at 

 the outset to have made the trip up 

 the river and around the shore line 

 of both lakes back to the Agency on 

 the south Short of the Lower Lake 

 by Sunday. The day was Thursday 

 and we wished to make a couple of 

 stops yet during the balance of the 

 trip. The wind was still pounding 

 the waves in heavy breakers on the 

 shores of the North Lake coming 

 from the north and sweeping the en- 

 tire width of its surface. We were 

 little frightened for we bad matched 

 our little craft against their power 

 the day before. After rounding the 

 point our direction was due west and 

 we were running in the troughs of 

 these mighty waves so had to zigzag 

 our boat and take every wave at an 

 angle to avoid shipping water. We 

 were in no danger of life, only of get- 

 ting a good soaking and being de- 

 layed a day for drying out. It was 

 genuine sport to match our powers 

 with that of nature. All was going 

 well. We knew that in the course of a 

 short time we would be rounding the 

 west end and driving our boat head 

 on against the waves approaching with 

 each revolution of the propeller the 

 quiet waters in the lea of the North 

 shore. Of a sudden the engine bore 

 down heavy. From the past few days 

 experience we knew only too well 

 that we were among weeds. We were 

 about three blocks from shore. Nature 

 had scored a point. We jumped to 

 the paddles, headed the prow to the 

 wind, and allowed the boat to drift 

 stern on toward shore. When within 

 two hundred feet one jumped over 

 board waist deep, cut lose the weeds 

 and held the boat into the wind, while 

 the other started the engine. We 



again pulled out into the lake sound- 

 ing bottom with our boat pole as we 

 went. It was then that we became 

 first acquainted with the shallowness 

 of the North Lake. The water re- 

 mained waist deep as far as we went. 

 We, however, headed a little toward 

 shore always staying far enough out 

 to avoid the weeds and yet among the 

 scattering bull rushes. But say, it 

 was glorious battling among the wind 

 and the waves. 



Duck Hawk Notes 



I wonder if any Duck Hawk eggs 

 were ever taken that did not leave a 

 memory in the mind of the collector 

 never to be effaced. My experience 

 with them has been mainly limited to 

 one pair of birds, but every incident 

 connected with the taking of every set 

 they supplied me with, nine in all, is 

 as clearly impressed on my mind as 

 if it were only yesterday, although my 

 first set was taken as far back as 

 1901 



To some Oologist readers, as they 

 glance over this, may come the vision 

 of some stupendous cliff, where, from 

 some little corner on it's rocky side 

 their first set was taken, perhaps at 

 peril of life or limb. To many more, 

 perhaps, may come the wish that 

 some day their wandering footsteps 

 may lead them in pleasant (Duck- 

 bawk) places; and so perhaps a nar- 

 rative of the nesting of one pair of 

 the birds may not prove uninteresting. 



Our race of the Duck (Falco pere- 

 grinus anatum) seems to be pretty 

 well distributed over North America. 

 In most localities very rare; common 

 nowhere. 



Perhaps we, in this little corner of 

 the world are as well favored with 

 them as anywhere, yet even with 

 such ardent collectors as Dixon and 

 Carpenter ' on the job we have only 

 found five pair nesting in a radius of 

 twenty-five miles. 



