for a moment before continuing its flight to the woods on 
the edge of the meadow. 
We lunched in the sheltered hallow near the big 
oak by the brook.. The same large flock of Goldfinches 
that I saw on the 6th came to the oak and began singing in 
medley. They were soon joined by a Bluebird, then by several 
Fox Sparrows, next by a pair of Chickadees, and finally by 
a troop of Snowbirds. All of these sang at intervals, singly 
or together, during most of the time we spent here, giving 
us a rare treat of bird music. At one time the two Bluebirds, 
both males, challenged and answered each other, one sitting 
in the oak, the other on the top of a pitch pine about about 
100 yds. away, keeping it up for at least ten minutes, each 
evidently striving to outdo the other. I have rarely heard 
anything so fine. The Juncos, too, were at their best, half 
a doxen or more frequently singing at once. Besides the 
species just named there was a single Grass Finch and 
several Tree Sparrows but both of these birds were silent. 
After lunch and another smoke we returned to the 
boat and crossed the river and flooded meadows to the pine 
woods in the Bedford swamp. In mid-stream two Golden-eyes, 
a fine old drake and his gray consort, were floating idly 
but they flew off down river before we got very near. On 
the Bedford shore under the lee of a belt of leafless birches, 
a superb old male Sheldrake was cruising warily about. We 
approached within about 300 yds. of him behind some bushes 
