Next of Sphyraena varius 347. 1876. (June 3) killed her dead in mid air. She came down most beautifully turning thru or four somersaults and striking a floating stick with them such force that the sound echoed through the woods. Picking her up I found I had killed a fin of Buephala. Dissection revealed an egg near the opening of the oviduct, of full size but covered with skin only. From the small size of the opening & other evidence I judged that this was to have been the first egg & thirteen more in process of development lay among the ovaries. We also saw another Buephala a ? and found a nest of Quiscalus pusparens in an old blackjacks hole (Castor?) with four fresh eggs. Saw other nest of this bird in similar portions but did not stop for them. Cesthias were evidently brooding among their stubs as we saw several pairs &nd woodpeckers of different species were numerous. Also saw a Myiarchus crinitus, and heard a Skylarktown. Saw several Brown Holates, Lincoopholes. Starting from her down the lake or paddled's sand down to Hayward's before we found anything of interest. Here we started a 2 Sphyraena boat of a fish in a tall stub and my guide declared that he could fell the tree which grew in [illegible] water 8 or 10 ft. deep without breaking the eggs & this he actually accomplished through the hole was at least 30 ft. above the water & the tree came down with tremendous