Cambridge, Mass. 4 1909. engaged in fishing. I watched some of them dive dozens of times and March 6. in nearly every instance saw beyond the possibility of mistake (I was using my glasses and the distance did not exceed two hundred yards) that they half opened their wings just before taking the downward plunge. That this was the rule and not the exception on this occasion. I can most positively assert. Indeed the wings were invariably separ- at ed from the sides and sometimes rather widely so whenever I saw them plainly just as the birds disappeared. One pair of Gooseanders nearer us than were any of the Gooseanders March 6. others and at a distance of perhaps one hundred and fifty yards acted Singular behaviour for a time in a singular manner. At first I noticed only the drake, a of mated pair fine big fellow with snowy white sides and bottle-green head. He was swimming slowly close about an inconspicuous object that looked like carefully a piece of bark or driftwood. On scrutinizing it closely however I soon made out that it was a female Gooseander floating perfectly motionless and so deeply immersed only the line of the beak showed above the surface. "A dead bird without doubt" I said to my compan- ion. For at least three minutes she remained thus and the drake con- tinued to circle around her pecking at her occasionally very gently Then of a sudden the water was violently agitated and a brown-crested 112