Small land birds were plentiful. Nighthawks and black swifts
flew overhead, Brewer blackbirds hunted food on the shore, and red-
winged blackbirds were accompanied by full grown young. At one
place when the whistle of a pygmy owl was imitated numerous small
birds came into an alder directly overhead. Amongst them were a
pair of Bohemian waxwing, a pair of redstarts, a water thrush, a
western tanager and a warbling vireo.

Covert Lake: About 1/4 mile long, 250 yards wide, in Lot 754 (Pre-
emptor series, Map 3D, British Columbia Department of Lands), one-
half mile south or Lacroix Lake. It is completely surrounded by
black spruce forest and along the shores by floating bog covered
with sedges, red osier dogwood and dwarf birch. The lake has a
maximum depth of approximately 15 feet. The waters contain an
enormous amount of the ivy-leafed duckweed that covers most of the
bottom and reaches the surface in the shallower places where it is
mixed with, or replaced by, lesser duckweed. Over about half the
lake's area is a surface layer of the latter and a bottom layer of
ivy-leafed duckweed. The only other food plant visible in this
dense accumulation was a small amount of Potamogeton robbinsii.
Adult damselflies were noted as relatively common, and dredging
brought up leeches, amphipods Gammarus limnaeus and Hyalella
azteca, the snails Helisoma subcrenatum (Carpenter) and Physella
ampullacea (Gould), waterbugs Notonecta kirbyi Hung. and mayfly

nymphs.

Waterfowl observed were: mallard, female with brood and 1
eclipse male; baldpate, 2 females with broods; bufflehead, 3 year-
lings

Like many lakes in the district, this is a feeding ground for
transient waterfowl and is described as one of the best local duck-
shooting places Lakes where lesser or greater duckweed is abundant
usually are frequented by pond ducks in the early autumn and no
doubt this food is the attraction here.

Maclure Lake: 2 1/2 miles long, 1/2 to 3/4 mile wide, three-quarters
of a mile east of the confluence of the Bulkley and Telkwa Rivers.
The coniferous forest surrounding the lake is partly cleared, the
logged-off portions grown up with deciduous trees, chiefly aspen;
tall willows are prominent in depressions. On the east Side the
land rises to a low mountain of which part is forest of the pre-
vailing type, part hayland and tillage. Except for half a mile or
less on the west shore of open, hard beach fringed by alder and
willow, the entire lake margin carries marsh growth varying in
width from 50 feet to 100 yards. This is composed chiefly of
round-stem bulrush and cattail, for the most part in separate beds
but in several places these two plants occur in about equal pro-
portion. A marsh of several acres at the north end has a navigable

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