There are literally no Rails and as yet no Marsh 
Wrens. I had begun to fear that the Bitterns had given up 
attempting to breed and had departed but I heard one 
pumping this evening in the direction of Hobbs’s Camp. 
Herbert Holden tells me that this morning and a 
week ago to-day he saw a black and white Duck which, from 
his description, I think must have been either a Whistler, 
or a Hooded, Merganser. On both occasions it started from 
among the Hooded belt of threes between the Holt and 
Hunt’s Pond and flew low over the water, going only a short 
distance before alighting again. On the second occasion 
it dropped into the open water on the meadows and,when 
Holden pursued it, resorted to diving"^ On May 26th, Holden 
had an interesting experience with a Great Horned Owl in 
the woods just to the northward of Lawrence’s Pines. As he 
was paddling along close to shore, the bird started from a 
tree nearly over him. It flew so slowly and heavily that 
he followed it back into the woods. It carried something 
in its feet which H. supposed to be a bird or Squirrel and 
which impeded its movements greatly. Indeed, after taking 
several flights, it alighted on the ground so completely 
exhausted that it allowed H. to walk directly up to it, 
when he discovered that its burden was a steel trap with 
a short piece of chain attached. One of its toes was caught 
in the jaws of the it rap which it had apparently been carrying 
about for several days. H. pressed it down firmly with $iis 
paddle and released it from the trap when it at once flew off 
to a considerable distance, pursued by a mob of Crows. 
