Lake Umbagog, 
wind had drifted them a few rods, ten or a dozen, G-rackles collected 
over them^like so many Gulls or Fish Crows, hovering with dangling 
* 
legs just above the surface and picking up the pieces rapidly and 
easily, Just touching the water with their feet,but invariably talcing 
the morsel in their bills. As they started to fly to shore ; they 
drew their feet up under th* .body plumage in front about at the rear 
end of the sternum* This I saw distinctly, a dozen times or more* 
yuL&T 
Some of the food thus obtained was taken to tiap young in the 
on the island but the greater part was devoured by the old birds 
soon after they reached the nearest shore* One brood of young left 
themest to-day and were fluttering about in the trees in the 
although they did not look more than fcitefehalf grown. Thrice 
the day I saw almost the entire colony of Grackles pursuing a Broad¬ 
winged Hawk across the lake streaming out behind him like the tmil 
of a corned. This was done without the least provocation on the part 
of the Hawk, who was merely flying sluggishly from shore to shor^and 
did not even pass near the island. On one occasion a dozen or more 
Grackles chased the Hawk into some dense spruce wood. I saw them 
mob a Crow in similar manner. Thrice they in their turn were pur*- 
* 
sued by indignant Robins. Towards I noticed a G-rackle who seemed 
A 
