BIOLOGICAL RECONNOISSANCE AT FLATHEAD LAKE. 157 
golden-eye ducks started in affright. A kingfisher noisily resented our 
intrusion, perhaps the first for along time. A flicker called from a near- 
by tree, and drummed loudly. Otherwise the woods seemed to be silent. 
The lake was almost choked by hydrophytic vegetation. The waters 
were of a beautiful blue color, causing exclamations of surprise and de- 
light. We were not prepared to make examination of the water. 
The ridge proved to be morainal, as shown by the rounded pebbles 
and stranded boulders on the surface. It continues to the lake, as we 
afterwards discovered, cutting the lake in twain, really making the lake 
double. This body of water is perhaps a mile or more across, some- 
what elliptical in outline, timbered to the edge, and unexplored. The 
ridge cutting the lake in two meets the waters of the lake approximatly 
at the middle, extending from side to side of the lake. The morainal 
ridge extends almost due east and west, The ridge is sharp and steep, 
and at the same time narrow. On the summit the distance across is but 
afew feet. In height it is perhaps a hundred feet above the water. It 
is well wooded with small timber. On the north the trees are arbor-vitae, 
on the south Douglas spruce. It is a place where the sharpest line yet 
observed is drawn between forest growth of two different species, show- 
ing visiniy how slight differences in location may make sufficient differ- 
ence to give one species an advantage over the other. The southern 
side of the sharp ridge faces the sun, is dry, and supports Douglas spruce. 
The north slope holds more moisture, gets much less sun, better suited to 
the growth of cedar. 
A portion of this lake to the north has receded so as to uncover the 
ground, leaving a marshy meadow on which native hay grows in abund- 
ance. This is cut by thrifty ranchers for winter use. The lake is not 
named, is little known, and biologically is unexplored. As our trip on 
this occasion was hasty and merely for preliminary purposes no attempt 
was made to collect material. Indeed, it was late when we returned home 
from this hasty reconoissance, much ag we desired to make more care: 
ful examination. That must be left for future years. 
On the ridge between the two portions of the lake a place was noticed 
where the grass and other vegetation was apparently trampled and 
mashed down as though a conflict had taken place. At first it was taken 
for the bed of a deer, but there was a marked difference in appearance 
between this and the ordinary deer bed. Examination disclosd the 
wasted skeleton of a porcupine, yet covered by portions of skin, and 
abundantly protected by long quills. The fight had taken place at the 
foot of a fir tree. Evidently the porcupine had just descended from the 
tree, when he was seized by an enemy, probably a wolf. 
Along the bank of the old lake referred to as meadow was found 
the partly decayed skeleton of a fine white-tailed buck. He had a large 
pair of antlers, which were still covered with velvet. His death can 
only be conjectured, but must no doubt be referred to the hunter. Un- 
fortunately his antlers were badly eaten by rodents, hence they were 
useless. On the border of the meadow a fine buck was rousd from his 
midday slumbers. The timber was dense, and the first bound put him 
behind such a mass of tree trunks as to make a shot impossible. Up in 
