CHAP. ix. A SAW-BILL DUCK AND BROOD. 137 



precipitous mountains which form a small watershed, and 

 whose direction is roughly east and west. I could not 

 approach the purple cliffs, but at the time thought they 

 were composed of labradorite. The rock on the portage 

 was a gneiss. 



There are no fish in this lake, at least so the Nasquapee 

 informed us ; it is not more than half a mile broad, and 

 discharges its waters by a small streamlet into Cold-water 

 Eiver. If fish are absent, the larvre of water-beetles, or 

 blood-suckers, as the voyageurs called them, as well as 

 leeches, are disgustingly abundant. Always on the look- 

 out for ducks, I stole cautiously to the edge of the lake 

 on the other side of the next portage, and observed a 

 saw-bill duck, with a brood of nine young ones, not a 

 dozen yards from the shore. The old bird evidently 

 suspected the approach of something dangerous, for she 

 was gently drawing her young brood farther from the 

 shore, with a low coaxing note. Making a slight noise as 

 I advanced, the old bird instantly called all the little ones 

 to her side, and swam with them as fast as the tiny things 

 could paddle towards the middle of the lake. The mother 

 encouraged the little brood with low cries, and looked 

 continually from side to side to see if they were all there, 

 and keeping close to her. So compactly did they swim, 

 that at a distance of thirty yards they looked like one 

 object. I suddenly showed myself, running to the beach ; 

 not with the intention of shooting them, but rather to 

 watch the manner in which the old bird would act 

 towards her young. She rose with a wild cry of alarm ; 

 the little ducklings, perhaps not a week old, instantly 

 scattered themselves over the surface of the water, some 



