ISO OUT WITH THE BIRDS 



and there, dangling from a tree in the farmyard, 

 I found the victim — a young Swainson hawk! 

 Enough said. 



Aug. 8. Early in the morning, set out with 

 some friends in a row-boat, on a fishing expedi- 

 tion, bound for the creek-mouth across the lake. 

 As we approached the opposite shore, the marsh 

 terns became very numerous. Many of the 

 young ones were roosting on the rafts of pond- 

 weed, now lying at the surface of the water, in 

 brown patches. The black marsh tern was the 

 common species met, but several families of the 

 white species — most probably the common, but 

 perhaps the Forster — also were noted. The 

 white fellows have a way of their own of drop- 

 ping flat on the water, with perpendicular beak 

 driven down to pin a minnow or water-insect. 



Close to shore two horned grebes seemed some- 

 what disturbed at our appearance, and the cause 

 of it was revealed when we saw a tiny peeper 

 grebe climb up on the back of each of the par- 

 ents. Suddenly one of the old birds dived, and 

 the little fellow was left on the surface. But 

 only for a moment, when he swam to the other, 

 probably his mother, and climbed aboard beside 

 his brother navigator. A short distance ahead. 



