28 THE WREN. 
At Nahant March 13, Joseph Kittredge, Jr., Barron Brainerd 
and J. L. Peters saw a flock of thirteen Holboell’s Grebes. Eight 
had their heads under their wings and were almost impossible to 
identify until closely approached. Later in the day the same 
observers found a female Green-winged Teal and a female Scaup, 
species uncertain, on Spot Pond. 
A pair of Screech Owls was seen in Jamaica Plain by J. L. Peters 
on the evening of March 14. 
An Iceland Gull was observed off Moon Island on March 20 
by R. M. Marble and H. W. Wright. 
J. L. Peters saw a male Hairy Woodpecker in Waltham on March 
23. 
On March 27 J. L. Peters noted an Ipswich Sparrow at Ipswich. 
On the same day Barron Brainerd and Joseph Kittredge, Jr., saw 
a Ruffed Grouse in Norwood. 
A FEW WINTER BIRDS OF THE NEW HAMPSHIRE 
HIGHLANDS. 
It was my good fortune to spend three weeks of February, 1909, 
among the foothills of the Franconia Mountains of New Hampshire, 
and much of my time there was devoted to observing the birds. 
This region is thickly forested with trees of various species, the most 
prevalent being White and Norway Pines, Hemlock, Spruce, White 
and Yellow Birches and Sugar Maple. 
This great abundance of conifers rendered the locality especially 
attractive to Crossbills, of which I noted both species soon after 
my arrival; the American species in far greater numbers. In 
fact I saw but one White-winged Crossbill during my stay and that 
observation occurred just after the middle of the month. 
Even more abundant than the Crossbills were the cheery Red- 
polls which I generally saw daily, either singly or in small flocks, 
winging their way toward a grove of birches whose catkins offered 
them bountiful food. They seemed to be quite as uneasy as the 
Crossbills, for once only did I obtain a faultless view of their dis- 
tinctive black chin-patch while they were busily engaged on a white 
birch. 
The foregoing were the most conspicuous birds during the first 
Do D D> 
