204 TEXAS NATURE OBSERVATIONS AND REMINISCENCES. 



of the interesting Mitchell's Lake, 

 or "Laguna de los Patos," in Mex- 

 ican, on which numbers of the 

 lively and always chattering 

 water hens, and in winter mil- 

 lions of black birds congregate. 

 Also in the adjoining fields we 

 find them, and occasionally 

 swarms of teal and other ducks 

 can be seen swimming around 

 on the water places, and seeking 

 their food; or at noon time, 

 bunches of water hens gather 

 on the water spaces between the 

 jungles and along the top of the 

 embankments; or they roost on 



hunter to pop down some of the 

 overflying ducks (in most cases 

 as lost game, as the dense tule 

 was mostly impregnable to en- 

 ter with a boat) . Of late years, 

 however, seemingly caused by 

 a severe winter frost, nearly all 

 of the tule has been annihilated, 

 and the greater part of the lake 

 is now barren of tule, with but 

 a few places for a blind. The 

 accompanying photo view 

 (which the writer prepared 

 years ago from the platform, of 

 one of these blinds) shows how 

 the lake at that time was cov- 



An Old-Time Scenery op Mitchell's Lake (By the Writer) With Waterken on the Lake) 



the lower branches of the brush 

 and small trees, closis to the 

 water's edge. 



Traveling still further south, 

 and up a hill, a sign is met: 

 "Mitchell's Lake Hunting Club," 

 and here a driveway leads to 

 the residence of the custodian 

 of the Mitchell Lake hunting 

 grounds, Mr. Ed. Keilman, and to 

 the main club house, facing the 

 large lake with its tulo junglas. 



In former years this lake was 

 covered all around and inside 

 with man-high swampreed or 

 tule, and duck hunting was im- 

 mensely enjoyed, as the high 

 reeds afforded shelter to the 



ered with these tule jungles, 

 with hunters in boat inside the 

 border of the dense tule on an 

 open space where the ducks 

 prefer to congregate. iFurther 

 westward the view shows part 

 of the opposite farm land, which 

 is studded with huge oak and 

 hackberry trees along the edges 

 of the lake. It is here that 

 years ago, a hunting and out- 

 ing party and myself encount- 

 ered a beautiful water hen nest, 

 close to the boarder brush and 

 tule, and having my camera at 

 hand, the enclosed photograph 

 of same was taken at noontide. 

 The nest was first found by my 



