Wild-Fowl of Wild-Fowl 



shacks, that we had seen in many miles. There we 

 made ourselves comfortable, getting supper with 

 our little oil stove and then turning in for rest. It 

 must be confessed that our sleep was none of the 

 soundest. Down below were cows and calves, horses 

 and colts, pigs and sheep, dogs and poultry, and 

 noises of various kinds were incessant. Around us 

 rats were perambulating, and a cat was making suc- 

 cessful sallies from time to time, while a shrill- 

 voiced cockerel on the beam above us had evi- 

 dently decided that sleep was not to be allowed. 



All night the rain poured down on the roof like 

 an avalanche, and in the morning continued una- 

 bated. There was nothing to do but make another 

 day of it — a rather dreary prospect. My disappoint- 

 ment, however, was tempered by the fact that the 

 evening before we had passed a small slough, only 

 five minutes' walk from the barn, that seemed to be 

 full of Ducks. So, after breakfast, I donned boots 

 and mackintosh, and set out for it with one of the 

 Norwegian boys, who told me that last year a pair 

 of wild Geese had raised a brood on top of a Musk- 

 rat house in this slough, and that he thought they 

 were there again. As we approached a whole cloud 

 of Ducks flew up, and I noticed many interesting 

 Waders along the margin. The first thing was to 

 look for the Goose nest. I waded out, up to my 

 boot-tops, to the several "houses," but there was 

 no sign of it. Then we took a turn along the shore, 

 passing through a tract of reeds up from the edge. 

 Suddenly, without warning, a female Pintail fluttered 

 out almost from under our feet and rapidly disap- 

 peared in the blinding rain. In a little hollow, shel- 



17s 



