96 JOURNAL OF MAINE ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



started up and whined and crawled along in the usual manner, to 

 attract one from the young. As I had had several experiences, in 

 my younger days, of trying to catch female Woodcocks, Grouse, 

 etc. I did not attempt it, but soon saw the four young skulking 

 away from under my feet. I gave chase and soon captured one, 

 though it was able to fly for several rods, when it dropped and ran 

 into a pool of water and swam across. I was on the opposite side 

 and caught it, when it reached shore. They were about half grown, 

 and quite well feathered out. The children were very much inter- 

 ested and amused at the little fellow, "with the long nose." Soon 

 I returned it to the cover and we sat quietly till the mother began 

 to call the young to her. The eggs must have been laid very early 

 to have young birds of such size at this date. 



I was not a little amused a few days ago, to witness at close 

 range, a pitched battle between a female Ruby-throated Humming 

 Bird and a large Grasshopper (the variety we called "The Quak- 

 ers," when we were small), in mid-air. The Hummer was the 

 aggressor and the hopper resented it and turned on her, but the 

 Hopper was soon glad to dive to the grass and the Hummer alit 

 on the rail of the sidewalk and seemed almost dazed. She looked 

 toward the ground, as here her antagonist had dropped, shook her- 

 self and buzzed away. 



Mr. E. W. Day, of New Sharon, tells the writer of a small patch 

 of early potatoes he had, several years ago, near his stable. He 

 noted the Nighthawks toward evening darting down and feeding 

 on the slugs of the Colorado Beetle. He says they kept the potato 

 bugs well cleaned off the patch. This he told me, after asking why 

 the Nighthawks were not as plenty now as a few years ago. Here 

 is his theory : They eat so many of the beetles and slugs that have 

 been poisoned that it kills off the Nighthawks. Have any of our 

 readers ever heard that theory before ? — J. Merton Swain, Fann- 

 ing ton . 



Perhaps a Crow. — May 29th, I observed a Myrtle Warbler 

 lining a nest with what looked like milkweed down. The nest 

 was near the top of a spruce on branches next to the trunk and 

 about 12 feet up. About June 6th, I again visited the nest and 

 found the bird on it. There were five eggs. June 12th I found 

 only a few sticks and scraps of nesting material where the nest had 

 been. It had undoubtedly been destroyed by a crow. — D. W. 

 Sweet, Phillips. 



