138 THE LABRADOE PENINSULA. CHAP. ix. 



going on one side, some on another, but always keeping 

 within a certain distance from the shore. The mother 

 flew to and fro across the bay of the lake, alighting 

 about fifty yards from the shore and calling her brood. 

 She remained about ten minutes on each side, swimming 

 about, then flew back again, and so on. 



She was evidently gathering the two divisions of her 

 young together on either side of the bay. The time 

 occupied in making the portage afforded me an excellent 

 opportunity of watching the manner in which she would 

 bring them together. After the lapse of three-quarters 

 of an hour, it appears that the little ducklings had aU 

 answered the call of the mother, and were collected in two 

 groups about a quarter of a mile apart, for I saw the 

 mother and about five of the little ones swim across the 

 bay and join the other four who had remained on the 

 opposite side. One could easily conceive the quacking 

 congratulations which the ducklings addressed to one 

 another at their happy meeting. The anxious care and 

 tenderness of the mother were quite delightful to witness. 

 The low note of warning ; the gathering flock round her ; 

 the wary manner in which she drew them from the shore 

 away from danger ; the instinct which prompted them 

 to scatter, then to gather at their mother's call, and 

 quietly wait on one side until she brought them together ; 

 all this was a beautiful and instructive lesson in wild 

 woods remote from help in time of need. The saw-bill 

 duck frequently returns to the same nest year after year. 

 On an island in Eainy Lake, in 1858, we found a saw-bill's 

 nest in the hollow trunk of a pine, which, from the ac- 

 cumulation of feathers, must have been there for many 



