Bank Swallows were present in about the usual numbers 
K 
Ins; 
ngfishers 
and I saw no young birds among them. A Green Heron started 
from the bushes at Hunt’s Pond.j^ Young Kingfishers, very 
tame, and still with noticeably short tails and crests, were 
scattered all along the river. Of course I saw the same 
birds many times but there must have been four or five of 
them in all. The parent birds did not seem to be attending 
them and I was thinking about this and wondering when and 
how the young begins to catch fish when one of them fluttered 
feebly out over the water and,poising clumsily for a moment, 
dove down in the usual manner,but just before he reached the 
surface he turned upward again. Thus my question was at 
least partially answered. 
r Musk Tortoises (the small Snapping Turtles) were 
out on the branches of trees and bushes over the water in 
Flicker’s 
Nest 
considerable numbers to-day but I saw no Painted Tortoises. 
In a sandy, open field on my land, where Tortoises come 
out numerously to lay in May, I found to-day a large number 
of egg shells by the side of a hole which a Skunk had 
evidently dug. The Skunk must have keen scent to detect 
the presence of these eggs four or five inches under ground. 
Reached the Buttricks at 3 P. M. and spent nearly 
three hours sitting in my canoe watching, the Flicker’s nest. 
It was raining part of the time. This' is my record. 
3-4 P. M. No old bird. Young impatient, looking out 
of ho}.e and pecking at the trunk within. 
4.10 11 Male parent comes into tree and laughs. Young 
at once show themselves and two of them 
climb quite outside the nest and sit erect 
on the top of the stump, calling pe-nk exactly 
like an old bird. After a, moment or two of 
