where the Cooper's Hawks breed and the next moment rose 
above the trees and soared majestically upward, circling 
in opposite directions and passing each other every half 
turn. They mounted to such a height that we actually 
could not see them at all without the aid of our glasses, 
and finally scaled down on a long incline into the Bedford 
swamp, descending with meteoric speed. 
Just after they disappeared, as I was starting 
to paddle again we heard a Grouse chitter on a little 
wooded knoll, now an island within 30 yds. and presently 
saw the bird stalk over the crest under a small hemlock. 
Our attention was next attracted by two pairs of Goosanders, 
the drakes in full plumage, which were floating in mid¬ 
stream. They soon rose and were joined by a Black Duck,all 
in 
five birds finally alighting again/the wood-encircled 
meadow near the pines on the edge of the Bedford swamp. 
We followed and under the cover of the outer belt of birches 
got within about 200 yds. of them and watched them for ten 
or fifteen minutes through our glasses. The drakes were 
very showy looking, almost as white as Gulls, their coral- 
red bills very conspicuous. One of them repeatedly lay 
over on his side and plumed his breast and abdomen, dis¬ 
playing the rich salmon coloring of these parts. Both 
drakes devoted much of the time during which we had them 
under our glasses to preening and arranging their feathers 
but they also swam about with heads lowered and bills 
