428 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



MULT 1, 1880. 



river turned almost at right angles every quarter of a 

 mile or so, and seemed to have been cut out of solid 

 banks of evergreens some seventy or eighty feet high, 

 which were reflected in the water almost as perfect and 

 distinct as they would have been in a mirror. Every now 

 and then on suddenly aHrrnishing in our birch around a 

 sharp corner, we would disturb a covey of young ducks 

 feeding on the wild rice growing close to the banks. We 

 spent an hour or so fishing below the falls, and experi- 

 enced very good sport indeed. 



Saturday,' S. and I canoed a long distance up the North 

 River, making some three or four portages and traversing 

 Borne twenty o* twenty-five miles, but had very little 



Monday we struck camp and left for Baysville, wind 

 dead ahead, rowing. At 11:30 a.m., wind getting fresher, 

 we ran under the lee of Lone Tree island, for shelter and 

 refreshments. Twelve a.m. we started again; 12:30 we 

 rounded to in a bay to leeward of half-way point, lying 

 under the shadows' of the hills, 



" Fur from men's homes .where the cliff breaks away, 

 Aval the warm scented irees droop dewy green." 



A thunder rain-storm coming up from the westward, 

 we pitched our tent and made things taut for the night. 

 Nine a.m., wind going down a little, and it being a lovely 

 moonlight night, we held a council of war, and deter- 

 mined to up sticks and continue on down the lake. We 

 had a weird but delightful pull for some four hours, and 

 reached our first camping ground at 1 A.M. 



We left Baysville Thursday morning, and, taking our 

 old track, arrived at Midland. at 5:30 Friday evening. 



Saturday we hired a Mackinaw skiff and half-breed 

 boy of eighteen years for the remuneration of $1 

 per day and keep. For the benefit of the uninitiated I 

 will remark that a Mackinaw skiff is a schooner-rigged 

 sailboat of from twenty to thirty feet long without water 

 ways, and they axe very safe, fast boats when under 

 good management. Taking our camping outfit, the cap- 

 tain and I, with the boy, left for the islands down the 

 bay to pick a camping ground, leaving the ladies board- 

 ing at a private house in town. Beached Prince William 

 Henry Island, or, as it is called by the Indians, Boseley 

 Island, about G a.m., running into a bay on its eastern 

 shore, pitched our tent and caught a number of large 



Sundays was a glorious day. Oapt. S. and Joe, our half- 

 breed, loft in the boat after dinner for Midland, and were 

 going to stay over night and bring the ladies out with 

 them in the morning, leaving me to keep bachelor's hall, 

 but as I had one or two visitors from the Indian village 

 situated on the south of the island a mile or so away, I 

 was not long by myself. Monday turned out fine ; got 

 up early, made a raft and paddled off to rock in the bay 

 a quarter of a mile or so from shore, and caught a good 

 string of fine large bass and pike. Folks got out about 

 1 p.TI., are! as the ground was rather rocky for camping 

 where we were, we moved camp to a largo bay at the 

 back of the island. Our present camping ground is the 

 best we have yet been in, 



"By the glossy waters of a bay, 

 Tbe golden tangles of the sunbeam play, 

 And quiver in the breakiug waves." 



The bank rising gradually from the water, smooth and 

 grass,-, and dotted with clumps of scrub oak and black- 

 berry bushes, one could almost imagine he was in a park. 

 It was formerly the site of an Indian village, the ruins 

 of which are still visible. Rumor has it that at the time 

 the French were massacred and driven out of Ventary- 

 nishene (about twelve or fifteen miles from here) large 

 quantities of gold and silver were buried on this spot, 

 and some credulous persons of the present generation 

 evidently put faith in it. as the ground in the vicinity of 

 the ruins is all lull of holes, apparently of recent excava- 

 tion. Some of the holes are as largo as cellars, others on 

 a smaller scale. Scattered through the bay were num- 

 bers of rocky islets arising precipituously out of the 

 water, oft" which we found good fishing, bass and pike of 

 " being numerous. We remained on the island a 

 img, shooting, etc., ducks having begun to fly, 



Thursday, an Indian coining along in his dug-out, I 



took 

 die a 



some i 

 bare, i 

 storm 



miles 



birch canoe and we went for a long pad- 

 tong the islands to the northeast. We got 

 irj good fishing and also had a lively hunt after a 

 id had to give it up on account of a thunder 

 Dining up and chasing us back to our tents, which 

 :.hed about dusk, having traversed over twenty 



Saturday morning we struck camp and moved into 

 Midland, where we found the Rover almost loaded with 

 lumber. Leaving Midland at dusk, we reached Gode- 

 rich on Tuesday' at 7 a.m., after a pleasant voyage dawn 

 the lake, very similar to our trip up. As we "arrived off 

 Groderien Town we were forcibly reminded of Coleridge's 

 lines, running thus : — 



" Oh dream of joy— la this indeed 

 The lighthouse top I see? 

 Is this i lie hill ': Is this the kirk? 

 is this mine ain oountree ? " 



The lighthouse, a church and the hill are almost all 

 one can see of Goderieh from the water. 



We resolved unanimously that the Georgian Bay part 

 of our trip was by far the most pleasant, and also the 

 cheapest, as, if we had remained there all the time, our 

 expenses would have been reduced two thirds. 



bing among the Georgian Bay Islands is good, 

 bass and pike predominating in the small bays aud rnas- 

 a uel salmon trout outside. The bass and small 

 be caught by still fishing, the larger fish by 

 trolling ; but 1 always find, wherever I have been, that a 

 real , ;il of time and expense will be saved by procur- 

 ing, in the first place, guides to show you the best fishing 

 spots. 



A party of four or five could, by starting from Gode- 

 rich, easily spend two or three weeks among the islands 

 at an expense of say ten dollars each, which would in- 

 clude hire of a large sailboat, provender, etc., and a 

 guide. As regards equipment, 1 have tried a great many 

 things : American patent camp beds, Canadian ditto, and 

 can say that all a person wants is a buffalo skin between 

 two, a'bkmket apiece and one strong suit of coarse tweed 

 clothes, with a change of unmentionables. Throw in a 

 r for heavy weather, and your outfit for the 

 outer man is complete. I generally carry a suit of oil- 

 skins as a precaution. _ Norma. 



—3. B. Omolnmdro, "Texas Jack," died at Leadville, 

 Qpl., June 36th. 



^iiimiil jgisforg. 



— * — 



—Address all communications to " Forest and Stream 

 Publishing Company, Neiv York." 



SPRING NOTES FROM MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, 

 may, 1^80. 



May 1st— 52°, 83°, 64°.— A large fish hawk, measuring 

 sixty- five inches from tip to tip of wings, was shot near 

 the city to-day. This bird is not at all common here. 



May 2d— 72°, 91°, 66°.— First Bartram's sandpiper. 

 Marsh marigold (Calthapalustris) in bloom. 



May 3d— 00?, 00°, 70°.— Chimney swifts. Evening 

 grosbeaks on Nicollet Island, This is the last time the 

 grosbeaks were noticed. The very warm weather at this 

 time doubtless hastened their departure, as they usually 

 remain much later. 



May 4th— 70°, 86°, 67°,— Night hawk. 



May 5th— 66°, 82, 70°.— Rose-breasted grosbeak, red-eyed 

 vireo, warbling vireo, blue yellow backed, blackburnian, 

 golden -winged, chestnut-sided, yellow, Tennessee, and 

 Nashville warblers, lark-finch, cow-bunting,^king bird, 

 A pair of robins building in a tree across the way. 



Wood anemone, plum trees, oaks, ironwood, etc., in 

 bloom. The slippery elm has passed from blossom to 

 fruit. The very warm weather of the last few days has 

 forced everything ahead, so that we have passed directly 

 from a late to an early spring. A great number of 

 birds have arrived, many of them several days ahead of 

 their usual time. Some of the trees and bushes which 

 but a day or two since were bare and winter-like, are 

 sufficiently in leaf to cast quite a decided shade. 



May 6th— 72°, 91°, 69°,— House wren, Harris' finch, 

 chewink, redstart, Baltimore oriole, whippoorwill, soli- 

 tary sandpiper, willet, olive-backed thrush, Traill's fly- 

 catcher. Great abundance of white-throated sparrows. 



Two kinds of wild gooseberry (Kibes cyiwsbati and 

 rotundifohum) axii the larger bellwort (Uvularia grandi- 

 flora) in bloom. 



May 7th— 53°, 56°, 46°. — White-crowned sparrow and 

 orange-crowned warbler. 



Rue-anemone (Thatictrum anemonoides), Juneberry 

 (Amelanchier canadensis var. alnifolia) and cultivated 

 red currant in bloom. 



May 8th— 52°, 10°, 53°.— Cape May warbler, Maryland 

 yellow-throat, clay-colored buntings, Ridgway's sparrow, 

 bobolink, barn swallow and Carolina rail. A set of four 

 eggs of the long-eared owl (Otus icilsonianus) obtained 

 from an old crow's nest, from which I took a set of five 

 crow's eggs last year. The nest is about twenty- five feet 

 from the ground in a tamarack tree in a dense tamarack 

 swamp. The eggs were in very different stages of incu- 

 bation, one being nearly fresh, while another contained 

 a large embryo. Red-winged blackbirds nesting. Nu- 

 merous Bartram's sandpipers. 



In bloom : hoary puccoon (Lythospermum caneseens) t 

 sweet white violet (V. blanda), blue violet (V. cucullata), 

 dandelion and crab apple trees. 



May 9th— 52°, 68°, 54°,— Red-headed woodpecker. 



In bloom : columbine (Aquilegia canadensis), red-ber- 

 ried elder, Indian turnip (Arismna triphyllum), whitloe 

 grass (Draba caroliniana), strawberry, white birch, etc. 



May 10th— 55°, 65°, 59 Q .— Upon skinning a clay-colored 

 bunting to-day I found the flesh literally full of white, 

 worm-like parasites. Every part of the body, from the 

 head to the root of the tail, contained the parasites, but 

 they were fewer in the muscles of the breast than else- 

 where. In the small amount of muscle on each leg there 

 were thirty or forty of these worms, and so numerous 

 were they in some places that the ro uscles were much 

 enlarged. Although thus afflicted the bunting was fat, 

 and seemed in good condition generally. 



Early meadow-rue (Thalictrum diozcium) in bloom. 



May 11th— 58*, 82°, 65 Q .— Yellow throated vireo, Wil- 

 son's black-cap (Myiodioctcs pusillus), Wilson's thrush, 

 Alice's thrush, Savanna sparrow and water thrush (Siurus 

 nozvius). 



Many oven birds in full song, clay-colored buntings, 

 redstarts, a Harris' finch, chestnut-sided warblers, Ten- 

 nessee warblers, blue-headed vireos, etc. 



In bloom : yellow violet (V. pubescens), Canada ginger, 

 Asarum canadense), wake robin (1'rilUum cernuum), red 

 cherry and red raspberry (Actcea spicata var. rubra). 



May 12th— 62°, 64°, 6u D .— Much rain ; cool. A scarlet 

 tanager. 



May 13th— 56°, 68°, 60°,— Black -poll and bay-breasted 

 warblers, short-billed marsh wren. Brown thrush's nest 

 containing three eggs. Tennessee warblers very numer- 

 ous. 



Creeping crowfoot (Ranunculus -repens) in bloom. 



May 1.1—60°, 7G°, 02°.-+Indigo bird, orchard oriole. 



In bloom : painter's brush (Caf:tilleia coccinea^, lark's. 

 spur violet (V, delphinifolia) and blue-eyed grass (Sis- 

 yrinchium bernmdiana). 



May loth.— 63°, 80°. 63 15 . 



May 16th— 650, 7 g 0j 70°.— Buckbean (Menyanthes trifo- 

 liata) in bloom. The plum and crabapple blossoms have 

 about all fallen. 



May 17th— 67 Q , 85°,- Yello^ -winged sparrow, Cana- 



dian flycatcher, black tern and a blue-winged yellow 

 warbler (Helmintltnphaga phuis). The capture to-day of 

 a male of the last-mentioned species is the first time that 

 I have detected this warbler here in six years' collecting. 

 It is certainly a rare bird, and may be simply accidental. 

 Dr. P. L, Hatch includes it in his list of 1874, a single 

 specimen having been secured. 



A lark finch's neat containing one egg. 



New flowers in bloom ; water-leal' (1 'lydrophyllum vir- 

 ginicum), bird's-foot and arrow-leaved violets (F. pedttta 

 and hastata), choke-cherry, wild cranesbill (Geranium 

 maculatum), everlasting pea (Lathyrus pah rolewus), wood 

 betony (Pedieularis canadensis), ground plum (Astraga- 

 lus caryocarjMS), dwarf blue-berry (Paticinium pennsyl- 

 vanicum), wild black current (R. Jlorida/.m), dwarf rasp- 

 berry (Rubus triflorus), golden corydalis (Corydalia 

 aurea). 



May 18th— 75°, 82°, 02 a .— Catbird's nest, just completed, 

 Heard the veery singing for the first time this spring. 



Bellwort (U, sessilifolia) small honeysuckle (Loniecia 

 parviflora) and long-flowered puccoon (Liihospermum 

 longiflorum) in bloom. 



May 19th— 64°, 77°, 60".— Ruby-throated humming 

 bird. Along the edge of a certain piece of woods a pair 

 of hummers breeds each year, and during tbe nesting 

 season the male may be found at almost any time sitting 

 on the dead top of one or another of two or three partic- 

 ular trees. Hei'e he passes hours, his repose interrupted 

 by only occasional brief periods of absence. He was at 

 his post again to-day after the long winter's absence, 

 while the female doubtless was engaged at no great dis- 

 tance in arranging for the nest, This quiet, inactive way 

 of whiling away the time does not seem to accord in the 

 least with the usual restless disposition of the humming 

 bird. 



An oven bird's nest containing four eggs of the owner 

 and two of the cow bunting. The nest was in an old 

 wood road, close by where there was a nest two years 

 ago. 



The gold thread (Coptis trifolia) and showy orchis 

 (Orchis spectabilis) are in bloom. 



May 20th— 49°, 56°, 49°v— Great-crested flycatcher and 

 olive-sided flycatcher. A crow's nest, containing four 

 large young, and a cooper's hawk's^nest, containing four 

 slightly incubated eggs. These two nests and the one 

 from which the long-eared owl's eggs mentioned above 

 were taken, are in the same corner of a dense tamarack 

 swamp and quite near together. 



In bloom: star-flower (lYientalis americana), star- 

 grass (Hypoxys erecta), stemless lady's slipper (Cypripe- 

 dium acarde) and false Solomon's seal (Smilacina trifo- 

 lia). 



May 21st— 47°, 60, 53°.— There was sufficient frost last 

 night to kill and blacken the young leaves of the small 

 oaks, sumach leaves, ferns, etc. 



A wild pigeon's nest, containing one egg nearly incu- 

 bated ; two rose-breasted grosbeaks' nests, each contain- 

 ing three fresh eggs, and a cow bunting's egg in addition ; 

 a catbird'B nest, two eggs and a scarlet tanager's nest just 

 completed. The wild pigeon breeds here regularly, but 

 only in isolated pairs. I have found many nests, but 

 never one containing more than a single egg or a single 

 young bird. Yet most, if not all, of our authorities say 

 the pigeon (Ectopistes migratoria) lays two eggs. Is it a 

 fact that two eggs are generally, or even occasionally, 

 laid? 



May 22d— 57°, 68°, 52 Q .— Black-billed cockoo. 



Spring cress (Cardimine rhomboideus), rock cress (Ara- 

 bia Uwigaius), and swamp saxifrage (Saxifraga penn- 

 sytvanica) in bloom. 



May 23d — 60°, 61°, 58°. — Spiderwort (Tradescantia 

 virgihiea) and golden ragwort Senecio aureus) in bloom. 



May 24th— 63°, 78°, 70«.— Yellow-billed cockoo, Wil- 

 son's phalarope and a mourning warbler. The last iB a 

 rare bud in this locality, though common in the heavy 

 timber a hundred miles further north. Three Carolina 

 doves' nests, with two eggs each; one of them was 

 within two feet of the ground in a dead bush in open 

 brush land. A loggerhead shrike's nest containing six 

 eggs nearly hatched. One red-winged blackbird's nest 

 with four "eggs, and many just being built in hazel and 

 oak bushes near a pond. Found a robin's nest which was 

 so nearly tipped from its place in the crotch of a tree that 

 the two young birds it contained lay upon the side of the 

 nest. The robins however had not deserted it and the I 

 female was sitting upon the nest, unsteady as it was. 

 Many catbirds' nests, most of them just completed ; one * 

 with five eggs. 



Upon knocking the top off from a muskrat house on 

 the edge of a slough, nine young muskrats apparently 

 but a day or two old were disclosed. They were hairless 

 and showed not the least sign of their eyes opening. The 

 nest was of dry grass and not more than an inch or two 

 above the level of the water, 



In bloom : Arrow-wood (Viburnum lentago), meadow 

 parsnip (Thaspium barbinode) sheep sorrel (Rumex ace- 

 tosella) and carrion flower (Smilax herbacea). 



May 26th — 72°, 77°, 57*. — Whippoorwill's nest, two J 

 fresh eggs ; three wood thrushes' nests, two containing 

 eggs, the third not finished yet. Heard several Nashville 

 warblers singing in a tamarack swamp, where they doubt- 

 less breed each year. Their song is very much like a 

 weak reproduction of the Tennessee warbler's piercing J 

 trill. J 



Flowers in bloom : dwarf cornel (Cornus canadensis) ' 

 bkhop's cap (M itella nuda), bush cranberry (Viburnum 

 opmdus) silky cornel (ft sericeus) and Smilacina bifolia. - 



May 27th— 50°, 62, 51°.— Saw a swallow-tailed kite.-^f 

 Found two chestnut-sided warbler's nests, one contain- 

 ing three fresh eggs, the other still incomplete. These 

 nests were in low hazel bushes on the edge of a wood. 





