"Shafer Lake'': 1 mile long, 1/8 to 3/8 mile wide, north of Lot 941, west of Lot 5339, (Pre-emptor series, May 3B, British Columbia is Department of Lands). The shores are of hard clay and small boulders interspersed by areas of soft mud or bog. Alders and willows poe close to the water's edge in front of the aspens that dominate the surrounding woodlands. The maximum depth is reported not to TEST 40 feet; along the shore for 50 to 100 feet out from the beach aL averaged 18 inches. Two small bays at the north end contain sedge marshes and this growth, with bur- reed and tall grasses including manna grass and bent grass Agrostis stolonifera, is less abundantly distributed along other parts of the shore. A narrow section com- prising the south end of the lake 250 yards or less wide is shallow with a muddy bottom. All this part is filled with a luxuriant growth of arrowhead, water buttercup, hornwort, water milfoil Myriophyl lum exalbescens and various pondweeds including Potamogeton Friesii,

P. praelongus and P zosteriformis. Through this growth penetrate

the stout stems of yellow pond lily and its leaves pattern the sur- face. In places the vegetation was intertwined and obscured by filamentous algae, in others ivy-leafed duckweed filled the spaces not otherwise occupied, and greater duckweed in large amounts floated upon the surface. Amphipods, Gammarus limnaeus and Hyalella azteca, were abundant in this mixed vegetation, so also were leeches, odonata nymphs, chironomid larvae including bloodworms, a water bug Sigara decoratella (Hung. ) a whirligig beetle Gyrinus wallisi Fall, and the following molluscs: Lymnea stagnalis jugularis, Say, Helisoma subcrenatum (Carpenter) and Physella ampullacea (Gould).

This lake is connected by a shallow creek, that dries out in Summer, with Snodgrass Lake two miles to the southwest and through Snodgrass Lake with Francois Lake. It has a fish population of which the only species observed were suckers and lake shiners.

Shafer Lake proved to be the best 'duck lake' studied during the entire summer. It was a concentration place for post-breeding mallard, lesser scaup duck and buffle-head as well as a nesting- place for these species. A census made August 7 is given below in detail.

Loon--1

Holboell grebe--1l pair

Mallard--50£ including eclipse males, flying broods and one

brood of 6 about three quarters grown.

Baldpate-~a band of 70 consisting of well~-grown young and a few adults, 4 females and 10 young, female and brood vor 6. —lobal oT

Green-winged teal--2 adults.

Lesser scaup duck--35+ eclipse males, 5 yearling or non-

breeding females, 2 females with 16 young. Total--58 Barrow golden-eye~-10 large young.

— 62 -

wee |