JOURNAL OF MAINE ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 83 



Brunswick Notes.— Most incidents which I notice about 

 birds and animals, in their wild state, have frequent parallels, but 

 it has been the good fortune of Mrs. Sawyer and myself to notice 

 two incidents this spring, which are regarded by our neighbors as a 

 little out of the ordinary. About two weeks ago Mrs. Sawyer heard 

 a sound very nearly like the Robin, some short distance from our 

 residence ; upon scanning the oak tree from which the sound arose 

 she discovered a bird in every way answering the description of the 

 Butcher Bird. For a few seconds he would imitate the Robin very 

 well, then there would appear a break, or slip in his imitation which 

 gave him away. This is the first Butcher Bird which I have heard 

 of in this part of Brunswick, but we did see several in Harpswell 

 last year, and I understand they are quite frequent in that town. 



Now my second incident. 



On Wednesday evening of June 19th, I was startled while at 

 work in some repairs in my cottage in Harpswell, by the shrill cries 

 of a Robin in a fair sized spruce some seventy-five feet from the 

 building. I looked in the direction of the bird and fancied I saw a 

 red squirrel combating the bird. After a short and spirited contest 

 the Robin flew away to an adjoining tree in much concern, appar- 

 ently, for her own safety. I had then reached the tree, and the 

 sight which met my eyes indeed startled me, for there, some twelve 

 feet from the ground, with his head within six or eight inches of 

 the Robin's nest was a large spotted adder, evidently on business 

 bent. I hastily returned to the building secured a boat oar and with 

 one clip brought Mister snake from his contemplated feast, on young 

 robins, to hasty end. The reptile measured three feet and one inch 

 in length, had a diamond shaped spot next the head, of a steel gray, 

 and the rest of his back covered with dark brown and leaden colored 

 spots, while the under part of his body was of quite bright colored 

 squares of dark brown and steel of different sizes. 



On my way home to Brunswick, the next day, I told the inci- 

 dent to Mr. Walter Totman, of Harpswell, a man of veracity, and 

 he told of an incident which happened several years ago at Gun 

 Point, some two miles below my cottages. A Mr. Snow was at- 



