24 JOURNAL OF MAINE ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



Partridges always come and scratch up the corn. During settled 

 weather they seem to prefer to forage for themselves. One day I 

 followed fresh Partridge tracks in hip rubber boots, and flushed a 

 Partridge from the snow where it was burrowing to the green plants 

 under clumps of evergreens. The Chickadees may be seen at any 

 hour of the day eating from the grains of corn. They pick up a 

 ^rain in the beak, carry it to a limb, and hold it there with both 

 feet while pecking out the germ. The rest of the grain of corn 

 they drop to the ground. At first I thought this was the work of a 

 squirrel. — Cordelia J. Stanwood, Ellsworth, Me. 



Narrow Escape. — While out driving the afternoon of Febru- 

 ary 22nd, I noticed two birds flying at a height of about two hun- 

 dred feet and soon perceived that one of the birds was in pursuit of 

 the other, which was only about half as large. They were flying in 

 a circle, which gradually narrowed until the larger bird was quite 

 near, when the smaller bird dodged suddenly and flew off at a tan- 

 gent, pursued by the larger bird, and as the pursuer drew closer the 

 circling began again, the birds rising higher and higher with each 

 revolution. These tactics were gone through with several times, 

 and the birds rose to such a height that the smaller one was nearly 

 indistinguishable, and I watched with a good deal of interest for the 

 climax of the tragedy which I felt sure must soon ensue, when sud- 

 denly the larger bird gave up the chase and flew down and dis- 

 appeared among some evergreens, while the intended victim took 

 an opposite direction and was soon lost to view. During the time 

 neither bird uttered a sound and I was unable to identify the small 

 one, though it was probably a Redpoll. The large one I had no 

 difficulty in recognizing as a Northern Shrike.— Fred B. Spaalding \ 

 Lancaster, N. H. 



