2 
Acctpiter atricapillus and Aix snonsa . 
Lake Umbagog, Maine. 
1897. spot he would certainly have caught her for she invariably 
Sept.22. came up within a yard or two of the same place and rarely re- 
(he- SL), 
J mained under more than a few seconds. But he always wheeled 
and made for the shore at once although twice the reappearance 
of the Duck before he reached it tempted him to turn back and 
swoop again. Strange to say he usually chose a perch only six 
or eight feet above the surface of the river. Hence his 
swoops were performed on a nearly level plane the distance 
which he had to fly being fully sixty yards. For about two- 
thirds of this* distance he flapped his wings rapidly and 
steadily but the last third was covered on set wings. It was 
beautiful to see him glide swiftly and smoothly towards his 
prey rising slightly and dropping his legs just before reach¬ 
ing the spot where she sat apparently paralyzed with fear. I 
noticed, however, that she held her wings half opened with 
the tips immersed and this, no doubt, will account for the 
truly marvellous quickness with which she invariably dove. 
There was no forward spring, no humping of the back or last 
' glimpse of the tail but simply a splash and rings rolling out 
over the calm water where the bird had floated an instant be¬ 
fore. Once or twice she squealed just before diving. Once 
she paddled about over a yard or two before-diving of surface. 
0* 
But ordinarily she sat motionless with head and neck erect. 
At first we were two hundred yards away but we kept 
