105
Lake Umbagog.
Megalloway River.
1897.
June 2
(No 4)                 
  Two or three hours later we found a third Whistler's
nest by watching the bird while we were eating
lunch. She first alighted on the water near the
tree and for fifteen or twenty minutes swam or
drifted aimlessly about preening her feathers. Then
she flew out over the pond describing a great
circle or rather loop rising gradually until she
had attained a height of about twenty feet when
she made directly for the nest which was about
thirty feet above the water. On nearing the tree
she pitched up sharply the remaining ten feet
keeping her wings in rapid motion up to the
last moment but checking her speed very considerably
just before she reached the hole. Some intervening
branches prevented me from seeing just how she
entered it.
[margin]Bottle Brook
Pond.[/margin]
[margin]Nests of the
Whistler[/margin]
  Half-an-hour after this we paddled quietly across
to the tree. As soon as I had taken a position
which commanded a good view of the hole. Watrous
struck the bole of the stump a single slight
blow with his paddle. This was immediatley followed
by a scratching sound in the hollow above and
then the Whistler's head and neck appeared at
the opening. The next instant she was in the
air and darting off over our heads. It was
all done so quickly that although I was watching
the hole with closest attention I actually
did not see the bird leave it. Indeed she
appeared to burst forth at nearly full speed and 
within the trunk. I certainly did not see her open her