Accipiter atricapillus and Aix sponsa. Lake Umbagog, Maine. 1897. spot he would certainly have caught her for she invariably Sept.22. came up within a yard or two of the same place and rarely re- (No. 2). mained under more than a few seconds. But he always wheeled and made for the shore at once although twice the reappearance of the Duck before he reached it tempted him to turn back and swoop again. Strange to say he usually chose a perch only six or eight feet above the surface of the river. Hence his swoops were performed on a nearly level plane the distance which he had to fly being fully sixty yards. For about two- thirds of this distance he flapped his wings rapidly and steadily but the last third was covered on set wings. It was beautiful to see him glide swiftly and smoothly towards his prey rising slightly and dropping his legs just before reach- ing the spot where she sat apparently paralyzed with fear. I noticed, however, that she held her wings half opened with the tips immersed and this, no doubt, will account for the truly marvellous quickness with which she invariably dove. There was no forward spring, no humping of the back or last glimpse of the tail but simply a splash and rings rolling out over the calm water where the bird had floated an instant be- fore. Once or twice she squealed just before diving. Once she paddled about over a yard or two before-diving of surface. But ordinarily she sat motionless with head and neck erect. At first we were two hundred yards away but we kept