THE BIRD DIARY 187 



then, better still, came the deep-voiced "Ho- 

 runk " of some Canada geese always a sure in- 

 dication that the season is wearing along. Later 

 in the day, across the arm of the lake, huge 

 blackbird swarms were noted, swirling back and 

 forth on the horizon, over the yellowing oat- 

 fields, and several ominous gunshots from that 

 quarter told the tale. Sandhill crane voices are 

 heard every day now, though such is the power 

 of their vocal machinery that the birds them- 

 selves are not always visible. 



The chilly evening spoke truly of autumn. 

 The catbirds' voices sounded from the still shrub- 

 bery in the dusk after all the other birds were 

 hushed; the night heron's bark rose noisily from 

 the sloughs; at nine o'clock, the voices of the 

 geese again came up from the same quarter of 

 the slough; and from the oaks, in real fall 

 fashion, came the ominous hooting of two horned 

 owls. 



Aug. 26. Off in the afternoon for a visit to 

 the sloughs. Among the numerous ducks seen, 

 a party of five spoonbills were observed at what 

 to me was a new duck trick. They were young 

 birds, having no objection to being observed, 

 and I got quite near them. They were lying 



