Lake Umbagog, Maine.
1895
Sept 10
(No 4)
seen its head & neck pointing straight upward but after 
inspecting them through my glass and even considering the
possibility that they belonged to a Bittern I decided that
what I saw was merely a stake, not a "Stake Driver".
  In Bottle Brook we found twelve Black Ducks, a
Wood Duck & a Whistler but I failed to get a satisfactory
shot at them although at my first attempt I got within
ten or fifteen yards of them. The trouble was that they
were under some bushes & tall reeds where I could get only
an occasional momentary glympse of a head & neck. It
was exciting enough for they made a great plashing & rolled
out large ripples incessantly under my very nose. Every now
& then I heard the curious muffled poof which Black Ducks
so often make by striking the air with their half-opened wings.
Finally they swam off across the pond & when I went around
it swam back again. We finally left them undisturbed.
[margin]Black Ducks[/margin]
  As we were coming down the river in the later afternoon
- the sun had set, indeed- a Broad-winged Hawk alighted 
on a stub over the water & almost immediately afterwards
swooped down & struck the mud with a loud thump.
  As we were approaching the spot it rose & flew across
the river into the woods carrying what looked like a
frog in its talons. During the day I saw two other
Hawks which I took to be of this species sailing about
at a great height.
[margin]Buteo
latissimus
catches a
frog.[/margin]
  We saw only one Duck - a Whistler - in the Megalloway.
This surprised me for the steamer seldom goes up this
river now.
[margin]Whistler.[/margin]