Nov. 1885.] 



AND OOLOGIST. 



165 



lligli up in the top of a high Juniper was a 

 mass of sticks, from wliich in answer to a loud 

 shout flew a medium sized Hawk, which I took 

 to be a Prairie Falcon. Here again I was doomed 

 to disappointment, for huge of size and bare of 

 l>ranches for many feet, I could not hope to climb 

 without some assistance, which I determined to 

 bring with me when I returned for my Humming- 

 bird's nest, but alas, within a week Uncle Sam's 

 l>cts, the Apaches, made a bloody raid through 

 this section, murdering and pillaging as they 

 went, shooting a ranchman within a short dis- 

 lance of tlie location of my nests and for several 

 weeks rendering it unsafe to venture into the 

 mountains, so that my Hawk and Hummingbird 

 reared their broods unmolested by me. The raid 

 put a stop to an expedition I had planned to the 

 top of the Divide, where I had expected to find 

 the nests of the Red faced and Grace's Warblers, 

 as well as other rarities, which I was positive 

 nested there. 



Loons at Poland, Me. 



BY G. n. K., BOSTON. 



The writer took advantage of an opportunity 

 that enabled him to spend the collecting .seas<ni of 

 '80 at Poland, Me., where he arrived on the after- 

 noon of .June 32d. 



The i)lace, to his thinking, promised iiuuh as a 

 Held of ornithological research, (wliich promise 

 was afterwards abundantly verified.) being situa- 

 ted in the midst of large woods and fields, with 

 numerous lakes and ponds lying almost at the 

 door. Without much trouble, an able assistant, 

 whom W(! will call Ross, was found in the person 

 of an enthusiastic and experienced local sports- 

 man who was thoroughly acquainted with the 

 surrounding country. Monday, June 39lh, was 

 the day set for an excursion after Loons' nests, 

 which, as he was informed, were to be found in 

 the "Range Ponds," one or more pairs regularly 

 nesting there every year. We started in the 

 uKjrning, I with my little 33-calibre skeleton rifle 

 and Ross with his 22, with which I soon found 

 he could do remarkable work, and after twenty 

 minutes brisk rowing, emerged into the head of 

 the pond, but nothing in the shape of a Loon 

 could be seen or heard. We pulled up the right 

 hanil side of the pond until we rounded a point, 

 disclosing what appeared to be the mouth of a 

 small s'.rcam, which terminated in a circular- 

 shaped basin of water or swamp so thickly filled 

 with rank grass, dead trees and floating islands 

 that a boat could barely be forced through. 



The stream and basin were surrounded by a 



heavy growth of tall Pines and Birches, dead at 

 the water's edge, making the whole place damp 

 and gloomy in the extreme. Just as we reached 

 the edge of the basin the loud cry of a Loon was 

 heard at the mouth of the stream, directly behind 

 us. Seeing us approach, she had slipped off her 

 nest, and diving, swam under us, came uji away 

 in our rear. " There she is," said Ross, "and she 

 has a nest somewhere in this place close to the 

 water." Standing up for a better view, the first 

 sight upon which the writer's eyes rested, within 

 ten feet of the boat, was a mound-shaped hillock, 

 with a slight depression at the top, in which were 

 two large dark colored eggs, which were immedi- 

 ately appropriated. The nest was built upon the 

 extreme edge of a floating island, of weeds, sods 

 and water grass, among which were to be seen 

 some dead sticks, evidently put there to give 

 solidity to the structure, and was nearly as large 

 around as a bushel basket and about eight inches 

 higli. The eggs were beauties, averaging 3.7Cx 

 2.37, of a dark drab color and covered with 

 darker spots, thickest at the greatei end. When 

 found, the under part of the eggs was wet, show- 

 ing that the weight of the bird, when on, sunk 

 tlie nest partly under water. 



While I was jotting down minutes in my note 

 book a second Loon was heard, and both birds 

 were seen at the mouth of the stream, trying to 

 attract our attention from the nest by loud cries 

 and rtapi)ing of wings. Ross set me ashore and 

 went back to the nest while I crept through the 

 undcrbush until I got within fifty yards of them. 

 Waiting until the female rose in the water, pre- 

 senting a good mark, I fired. The report had not 

 died away before the head of the bird dropped 

 forward into the water and I knew I had bagged 

 her, as it is a peculiarity of these birds when shot 

 that only the head settles forward and the body 

 continues to float, like a Duck with its head 

 under water. Slipping another cartridge into 

 the barrel I waited for the other to rise. He was 

 down only a few seconds and came up a little 

 way off, but immediately swam to his mate. 

 Again getting a fair shot I fired, and although I 

 heard the thud of the bullet as it struck him, he 

 dove and came up nearly half a mile out into the 

 pond. Ross came up with the boat and we gave 

 chase, but it was only after half a day's hard work 

 and a large expenditure of cartridges, that he was 

 finally brought to by a splendid shot by Ross. 



TmcK-niLLED Grebes (Padilt/iiifjus pudkeps) 

 IN Kansas. — Mr. V. L. Kellogg reports finding. 

 May 26th, 1885, a number of nests of this bird 

 containing from five to ten eggs each. 



