Back Bay Basin,
Boston, Mass.
1909
Feb. 27
(No 14)
yards in length as they slid over the surface before
losing the impetus of flight. Besides the bleat and
the whistling of wings I heard them make no other
sound this morning.
Whistler courtship.
  Just as the paaap was uttered - or perhaps a
fraction of a second later - a slender shower or sprit
of water, not unlike that emanating from an old-fashioned
metal syringe, vigorously used, might often (but by no means
invariably) be seen rising immediately behind the bird to
a height of one or two feet. Sometimes it was thrown
almost straight upward but oftener it followed a long
elliptical or bow-shapes, backward curve, the heavier drops
falling to the surface within a yard of the bird, the
lighter ones striking down two or three yards at its rear. This
jet-like puff of mingled drops and spray was
sometimes conspicuous at a distance of fully a quarter
Spray kicking