DAILY DOINGS 



were they wild geese, nor herons. One or two came 

 down low enough for me to see plainly with the glass, 

 white breasts gleaming silvery in the sun, two black 

 bars on the short rounded tails, and black edges to 

 the otherwise white wings. Of course all these observa- 

 tions were from underneath. With slow motions they 

 wheeled and circled in the blue sky. Hawks they 

 must be, I concluded, but without more definite data 

 I could not be sure whether they were Cooper hawks 

 or not. Certainly they were an imposing group poised 

 there just over our acre of lawn. I wonder whether 

 they were gathered together for migration. 



September 18. During the fall migrations small 

 birds are often knocked senseless by flying against our 

 windows. In this way we are able to examine minutely 

 the little creatures and occasionally are able to re- 

 store their shattered senses. This morning a brightly 

 marked bird was picked up just outside the dining- 

 room and brought up to me. It was impossible to 

 mistake it. I knew at once that it was a warbling 

 vireo. He lay on my hand with beak open, and I gave 



57 



