26 JOURNAL OF MAINi; ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



,1-, < I r ! / ' ^ 

 The night was clear and cloudless, with no moon, but bright 



with starlight, so that there was no difficulty in following every 

 development. I think he went through his performance at least a 

 dozen times, with intervals of rest between of not more than a min- 

 ute. On each occasion he came to earth near by us, always within 

 fifty yards and nearly always within thirty feet, seeming to have 

 some curiosity as to our presence and intentions, but showing very 

 little fear. In one instance he had almost settled upon the ground 

 wnthin three feet of me before noticing my motionless figure; 

 either that, or, as may be possible, he was examining his disturbers 

 at close range, for, flying first close to my companion and making a 

 half circle about his head he approached me, poised an instant 

 within hand reach, and then came to earth not over ten feet away. 



When I approached him as he rested upon the ground he 

 made a peculiar glutteral note, which I cannot describe better 

 than to say that it was like the faint, muffled "^h-o-o-inp" of a bull- 

 frog. I stood quietly waiting until he should resume, which he pres- 

 ently did, jerking out, with much bobbing of head and twitching of 

 tail, a series of nasal, rasping "'qnancksV After a little he whistled 

 away again, circled, twittered, sang and dropped to earth. He 

 must have made eight or ten flights before I left him, and from 

 all indications was ready to make as many more. 



A week later a party of four of us made an excursion into the 

 cover to listen to my twilight musician, and, though the wind was 

 high and conditions seemed somewhat unfavorable, we were treated 

 to a very fine exhibition of his powers. 



This evening there were two birds present, and at times we had 

 both in the air together. Once there came a sudden whistling of 

 wings and we saw one bird chase the other out of this territory. 

 Pursuer and pursued were very plainly visible as they darted and 

 twisted over the tops of the pines on the western border of the 

 cover. Presently one returned and resumed the serenade. I won- 

 dered whether this performance was a part of the courtship, or 

 whether my little friend was driving an interloper away from his 



