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time during which we had them under our glasses to preening 
and arranging their feathers "but they also swam aoout with 
heads lowered and bills immersed to the eyes, apparently 
scanning the water beneath in search of fish. The females 
paddled slowly about, apparently doing nothing in particular. 
There was no diving on the part of any of them. At length 
we flowed ourselves and the Sheldrake at once flew but the 
Black Duck who had gone fast asleep with head buried in dor¬ 
sal feathers remained behind. His bewilderment and con¬ 
sternation when he at length awoke and discovered our boat 
approaching rapidly was very amusing. 
We next recrossed the river, landed, and climbing 
the hill walked through the pines and down into the valley 
behind. The surface of a broad expanse of snow which lay on 
the north side of some young pines was marked with the tracks 
of a small Raccoon. In the old apple orchard we found 
numerous pellets and other recent marks of Screech Owls, but 
we searched all the holes in vain. It is strange that I have 
never found an Owl in any of these holes, although their 
fresh signs are present under the trees,season after season. 
We lunched near the big oak by the brook in a 
surmy hollow sheltered from the searching north wind. Two 
Bluebirds, a pair of Chickadees, and a flock of about 25 
Goldfinches, all in the oak at once, the Goldfinches singing 
most deliciously — medley-singing most of the time, but 
once or twice the real summer song from an old male. 
