110 TI1E OLD SUGAR MILL. 



over the water ; this sound was very familiar 

 to me, but so excellent is the imitation that 

 for a long time I attributed it to one of the 

 numerous coots which abound in most places 

 favored by Q. major." 



If the sounds are not produced by the 

 wings, the question returns, of course, why 

 the wings are shaken just at the right in- 

 stant. To that I must respond with the 

 time -honored formula, "Not prepared." 

 The reader may believe, if he will, that 

 the bird is aware of the imitative quality 

 of the notes, and amuses itself by heighten- 

 ing the delusion of the looker-on. My own 

 more commonplace conjecture is that the 

 sounds are produced by snappings and grat- 

 ings of the big mandibles (" He is gritting 

 his teeth," said a shrewd unornithological 

 Yankee, whose opinion I had solicited), and 

 that the wing movements may be nothing 

 but involuntary accompaniments of this al- 

 most convulsive action of the beak. But 

 perhaps the sounds are wing-made, after all. 



On the day of which I am writing, at 

 any rate, I was troubled by no misgivings. 

 I had seen something new, and was only 

 desirous to see more of it. Who does not 



