THE LOON. 45 



June 13th. — Today is hot and sultry. Saw; several 

 Goldfinches and a few Swallows sitting on the telegraph 

 wires. On the corner of a certain orchard there stands 

 an old apple tree. The top has blown over and the part- 

 ly decayed trunk is covered with rows of small holes, 

 the work of various woodpeckers. Last year a Yellow- 

 bellied Woodpecker drilled a hole about four feet from 

 its base but unfortunately before her home was complet- 

 ed she was killed. The cavity has this season been occu- 

 pied by a pair of Blue-birds, and today I secured their 

 live fresh eggs. 



October 4th. — I was watching a flock of crows feeding 

 in a field when a large hawk dropped from the spotless 

 sky and lit on the dead top of a huge cottonwood tree. 

 The sentinel gave a cry of alarm and in an instant the 

 whole flock arose with a tremendous "cawing" and sur- 

 rounded the bird of prey. Occasionally one would poise 

 in the air over him then suddenly shoot downward whiz- 

 zing past in close proximity with his head, but his hawk- 

 ship regarded these feigned attacks with contempt and 

 would, I have no doubt, remained there for some time, 

 for he had already commenced "pluming" his feathers, 

 had I not approached too near for his comfort. When 

 I was w T ithin 50 feet of the tree he spread his strong pin- 

 ions and flapped lazily away with the crow r s strung out in 

 his wake and soon both he and his tormentors disappeared 



