ILLINOIS AUDUBON SOCIETY 21 



On one of my hikes thru the woods, while studying the various ferns 

 and lichens, I suddenly saw a whippoorwill flying up a few feet in front of 

 me, and alighting on a limb close by. Concluding that its nest was near, 

 I thoroly searched the dry leaves that covered the ground. In a short 

 time I came upon the two protectively colored eggs, which lay on the bare 

 ground with a few leaves surrounding them, close to a partly decayed log. 

 During this time the bird did not move from its place, but seemed to be 

 watching my every step. Having my camera at hand I decided to attempt 

 taking a picture, focusing my camera, and stepping several feet nearer, I 

 snapped him. Since he did not move I stepped closer still and succeeded 

 in taking his picture once more before he flew away. Many more interest- 

 ing events of bird-life could be described, but space will not permit me to 

 do so. Walter G. Gerth. 



Boy Scouts on the Embarras River 



The following extracts are taken from the "log" of a trip by scoutmaster 

 Clarence Huffman of Charleston and a group of boys who last summer 

 explored the Embarras River from near Charleston to its mouth where it 

 empties into the Wabash. They then rowed up to Vincennes and returned 

 to Charleston by train. The Charleston scouts are planning a trip down 

 the Kaskaskia River the coming Summer. 



"We had spent the morning loading our two boats, the Wanderer and 

 the Adventurer, and after a hasty dinner we pushed out into mid-stream 

 and let the current send us southward. It was Wednesday afternoon, 

 June 7, and school had closed only that morning. It was a grand be- 

 ginning of vacation for the boys and we threw aside all memories of 

 troubles and worries, and just lived. Sunshine and clouds alternated 

 that afternoon and now and then it sprinkled, but we kept on. We went 

 under two suspension bridges and at 4 P. M. were down in Cumberland 

 County not far from Jonesville and at the spot we had camped the year 

 before. Suddenly the sky grew black and lightning flashed. Fortune was 

 with us for w r e saw a big barn near and, as the rain began to fall in 

 sheets, we shot into land with such force that, as a bright streak of 

 lightning seemed to strike at my feet and a big fish jumped into our boat 

 and fell at the feet of one of the boys, I heard a splash and looking 

 around saw one boy coming up to the surface, grabbing for his hat! I 

 had made the boys go barefoot in the boats and they could all swim in 

 their clothes so we all laughed while the boy swam out. Then I sent 

 our ambassador scurrying up that rocky hill to ask for shelter while we 

 began to unpack. (One boy always went to the farmhouses for water, 

 milk and eggs, and asked if we could camp or sleep in the barn, if it 

 happened to be stormy, two helped me cook, two cleaned and packed the 

 boats, put up the tents, and fixed our beds, while another got wood and 

 made fires). The farmer gave us permission to stay all night and soon we 

 had our cargoes safe in the barn or drying on the rail-fence, for the rain 

 soon ceased while we put on dry clothes and hung our wet ones out. 

 The barn proved to be granary and garage combined and that night 

 part of us slept in the granary while two took the garage. The farmer 



