May, 1915 
BIRDS OF KOOTENAI COUNTY, IDAHO 
119 
Lake Coeur d’Alene is the largest body of water in the County, being 
twenty-two miles in length, narrow in width, with an area of 41.4 square miles, 
and with a shore line of 103 miles. Its general trend is north and south ; eleva- 
tion 2120 to 2136 feet. The Coeur d’Alene mountains, north and east of the 
Lake, are a continuation of the Bitterroot Range; in them the Coeur d’Alene 
River rises and flows into 
MAP-KOOTENAI COUNTY. IDAHO. 
SHOWING GENERAL TOPOGRAPHY 
Bonner county 
rises 
the southern end of the 
lake. Five miles farther 
south the St. Joe River 
forms the other principal 
tributary. The Spokane 
River is the outlet of the 
lake, and empties into the 
Columbia about seventy-five 
miles northwest from the 
lake. 
Fernan Lake is a small 
body of water situated a 
short distance from Coeur 
d’Alene City. The lake is 
fed by a small creek bearing 
the same name, which flows 
through an alder swamp of 
nearly 100 acres extent at 
the east end of the lake. In 
this swamp and on the hills 
surrounding Fernan Lake I 
have observed 76 species of 
birds. Coeur d’Alene Lake 
and also the smaller lakes 
are encircled with hills 
which at one time were cov- 
ered to the shores with a 
dense growth of yellow pine 
and fir, but in the past few 
years have been denuded to 
a great, extent by forest fires 
and logging operations. 
These hills are now growing 
up with dense stands of 
young Douglas fir, white 
fir, western larch, lodge- 
pole pine and yellow 
pine. The more open 
hillsides and ridges are 
covered with a thick growth of shrubs, mainly ocean spray ( Schizonotus dis- 
color), ninebark ( Opulaster pauciflorus) , buckbrush ( Ceanothus sanguineus) , 
sticky laurel ( Ceanothus velutinus) , and serviceberry ( Amelanchicr alnifolia). 
The undergrowth on the low hills is mostly composed of Pachistima myrsinites , 
thimble berry ( Rubus parviflorus) , bracken fern, Oregon grape, and occasion- 
H I /A H C O U NTJ_ 
Fig. 45 
