42 



THE MUSEUM. 



Aug. 7. While watching the shore 

 birds through a spy-glass, I saw a 

 Green Heron spear two frogs and 

 swallow them head first, but he killed 

 them first by biting them with his bill 

 A Solitary Sandpiper was catching 

 flies or some flying insect that swarm 

 on the mud. He sneaked along with 

 lowered and out stretched neck and 

 when near enough he gave a little 

 jump or sometimes just a dart of the 

 bill. The Heron sneaked upon his 

 victim too — his neck half stretched, 

 his bright yellow eyes hypnotising the 

 frog, then a sudden extension of his 

 telescopic neck and the victim is deftly 

 caught by his head, two or three bites 

 and down he went, the Heron ex- 

 pressing his satisfacting by several 

 energetic flips of his tail. When 

 hunting in the water up to their 

 bodies, their motions are so graceful 

 and deliberate that they do not cause a 

 ripple upon the waters surface. 



Aug. 16. At 5 a. m. I was again 

 along the marsh. There were fifteen 

 Green Herons standing in as many dif- 

 ferent attitudes, strung along the 

 shore. One Heron caught a frog by 

 the hind leg and of course froggy 

 kicked and the Heron gulped and 

 tossed his victim around for nearly a 

 minute before he could get him started 

 down head first. Pectoral and Least 

 Sandpipers are common, a few Soli- 

 tarys and five or six Lesser Yellow 

 legs with a big flock of Ivilldeers make 

 up the company. 



Sept. 9. During the past 10 days 

 a lot of despicable pot-hunters have 

 been shooting the shore birds without 

 mercy. Up to Sep. ist the Pectorals 

 and other birds of shore loving habits 

 have enjoyed a quiet peaceful time, 

 and were getting used to my presence 

 so that I could sit near and watch 

 their interesting antics, even the shy 

 and easily alarmed Killdeers would 

 run near by without fearing me, but 

 now they are slaughtered with such 

 persistency that they are wild and sus- 

 picious of my every move although no 

 harm was intended. Only a few Pec- 



torals and Killdeers are here now. 

 Even the harmless Green Heron went 

 to satisfy the greed or sporting .' pro- 

 clivities of the pot-hunters. This 

 slaughter was kept up with such per- 

 sistency that it was difficult to note 

 the arrival of new migrants, but from 

 Sept. 9th the following birds were ob- 

 served: Black-bellied Plover, Golden 

 Plover, Greater Yellow-legs, and on 

 Sept. 29 I caught a wounded White- 

 rumped Sandpiper. American Pipits 

 are common autumnal migrants, and 

 in October large flocks of Prairie 

 horned Larks gather here. During 

 the latter part of August and in Sep- 

 tember the American Goldfinches visit 

 this muddy shore, alighting upon some 

 log or old stump near the edge of the 

 water and appears to find some kind 

 of food that they eat with great relish. 



lo and its Habits. 



In the mountainous region compris- 

 ing portions of the States of Virginia. 

 North Carolina, Tennesee and Ken- 

 tucky arise numerous small streams 

 which unite to form the principal riv- 

 ers which are the head-waters of the 

 Tennesee River. All these streams, 

 not excepting the upper portions of 

 the Tennesee River itself, have in a 

 greater or less degree the characters 

 of mountain torrents, which in reality 

 they seem to be on a very grand scale. 

 The streams have very usually a rapid 

 descent, and are in many cases brok- 

 en by shoals and rapids, the beds of 

 the streams being usually coarse grav- 

 el or rock; there are seldom to be 

 found stretches of placid water, and 

 accordingly as might well be conjec- 

 tured, the fauna of the region, so far 

 at least as relates to fresh water mol- 

 lusks, is somewhat peculiar. In the 

 gravelly portions of some of the 

 streams abound numerous species of 



* This article was written 20 years ago by 

 Dr. Jas. Lewis and publisiied in the Ameri- 

 can Naturalist. Any of our readers who can 

 add any further notes on this family we will 

 be glad to receive them. 



