The phalarope is a quiet, beautiful 
separated by the typical barbed-wire fence. 
On one side were a number of ferocious- 
looking black bulls, and on the other a herd 
of cows and calves. No sooner did I ap- 
pear than the dozen or so pairs of avocets 
which dwelt around the pools hastened to 
meet me, making more din than one would 
believe possible from so few birds. The 
young were evidently all hatched, and I did 
not see one of the little skulkers. Between 
the roaring of the bulls, the lowing of the 
other cattle, and the screaming of the avo- 
cets, assisted by a couple of pairs of willets, 
it was hardly a place for quiet meditation 
upon the wonders of nature. Nor was the 
attitude of Taurus toward strangers con- 
ducive to prolonged stay. 
The best avocet ground which I happened 
upon in Assiniboia was an island in a large 
lake, separated from the mainland by about 
a third of a mile of morass, with water from 
waist to breast deep. It appeared from 
shore to be a likely place, and get to it | 
would, though there was no boat. So | 
tethered the horse out to graze, donned 
the high rubber wading pants, and started 
across with some fifty pounds of cameras, 
plates and various necessities strapped 
high and tight around my neck, to keep 
little bird, with no immodest outcries. 
them out of the water. Out in the mid- 
dle the waders sprang aleak, and a sharp 
buckle pulled out and fell down inside under 
one foot, causing agony at every step. The 
straps almost choked me, but there was no 
relief but to reach the island as quickly as 
possible, or sacrifice the precious cameras. 
Being alone, there was danger of being 
drowned, but I struggled slowly on through 
the reeds, and was glad enough when, gasp- 
ing, I stumbled ashore and threw down the 
pack. Immediately a crowd of avocets set 
up a shrieking, ducks fluttered off their 
nests, and there was general pandemonium 
among the various water-birds feeding in 
or by the pools. Here was many a day’s 
work cut out for me right in this one lo- 
cality. 
Before me was a series of alkaline lake- 
lets nestling in the depressions of the 
grassy island, and it took but a few mo- 
ments to find nest after nest of the avocets. 
In this case there were no flats extending 
back from the shores, only narrow margins 
backed by sloping banks covered with 
thick prairie grass, so that all the nests were 
close to the water’s edge, and had been 
built up a couple of inches to keep the eggs 
from being overflowed in rain storms. It 
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