14 



of the trip in a row boat. During the months of Septembeiv 

 October, and the most of November, 1897, the river stood at 

 the present low- water mark, that is, about two feet by the gauge, 

 and the lake was drained to the lowest limit reached since our 

 operations were commenced at Havana. Its bed at the north 

 end, for a distance of about three quarters of a mile, was exposed,, 

 leaving an expanse of the softest black ooze, through which a 

 narrow, winding channel several feet in width, containing sev- 

 eral inches of water, was kept open by our boats and those of 

 occasional sportsmen. When winds from the north prevailed, 

 even this insignificant highway was left bare. Under these con- 

 ditions ingress and egress over and through this bed of ooze be- 

 came a task of no small difficulty. 



, Owing to these two routes of approach to the lake, two points 

 of collection have been established ; one off Sand Point, in the 

 northern half, and one about half a mile below Prickett's Land- 

 ing, in the southern half. Both are in open water and at a con- 

 siderable distance from vegetation, and are equally typical loca- 

 tions. Access to one of these two places is always possible 

 during the period of open water or when the lake is covered with 

 thick ice, but when the ice is thin or rotten, it is at times only 

 possible to work out a few rods from the shore with the aid of ax 

 and ice-hook. 



Plankton operations were not carried on in Phelps Lake in 

 1895, owing to the failure of the river to overflow the bottom- 

 lands sufficiently. to invade and fill the lake. During this year 

 a heavy crop of corn was raioed in its fertile bed, but before it 

 was harvested the following winter the water asserted its claim 

 to this territory and has since held possession. The rise which 

 culminated January 1, 1896, filled the lake, and the water 

 slowly decreased until November, when the few shallow pools 

 that remained were frozen solid. Water .again entered the lake 

 January 6, 1897, and the last pool was dried up about Sep- 

 tember 1 the same year. Toward the last of February, 1898, 

 rising waters again poured into the lake, and owing to the high 

 water of the past spring continued to occupy it and the adjacent 

 territory until the middle of July. Since that time the depth of 

 the water has decreased rapidly and by the middle of Septem- 

 ber the lake was reduced to a few large pools. During the first 



