94 GAME-BIRDS AT HOME. 



A mile or so from the river the slough ran into 

 an open marsh at the foot of Senachwine Lake, 

 and from the side sloughs and ponds rose huge 

 flocks of mallards so close that the burnished 

 green of their necks and heads, the glistening 

 bands of blue upon their wings, and the delicate 

 curls of shining green upon their rumps were as 

 clear as the white bands on their tails. But we 

 let them go, as it is not always wise to shoot at 

 ducks when you drive them out of a place, and 

 my friend said this was nothing to what I would 

 see before dark, and told me to save all my am- 

 munition for the evening flight. He then placed 

 me on a tongue of land running into a shallow 

 pond, and directed me to hide well in the reeds, 

 while he went to another point some two hun- 

 dred 3^ards away. 



As it was my first introduction to ducks I 

 meant to follow his advice, though there were 

 ducks enough in sight to satisfy any one. Along 

 the sky streamed lines of dark dots, while from 

 over the reeds and the timber in all directions 

 came small bunches, big flocks, and single ducks. 

 Scarcely was I well hidden in the reeds when a 

 wood-duck, resplendent in carmine and purple, 



