AMONG THE WaTER Fownt 
of a pack of hounds on the trail,—and music indeed 
itis. Presently a line of fowl will appear, sweeping 
down the channel. They do not always seem to 
notice the boat, and I have often had them double 
right by the bow when I sat up to shoot. I think 
that there is no swifter flier among birds than this 
garrulous “Squaw,” and if ‘ome 1s to hit swelea 
mark very often, he must be an ‘adept: Goine vat 
such tremendous velocity, when one is brought 
down, I have beem amazed at the distance thatwuts 
momentum will carry it, ricochetting over the water, 
before it can stop. They appear to rest on the open 
sea at night, where they are quite safe from moles- 
tation. On cold, still days they sit in flocks cn the 
water and their chatter, which oftem Seems topne- 
solve itself into major thirds, is to me one of the 
finest sounds of Arctic-like nature at this season. 
The Golden-eyes also feed in the bays, and, hid- 
den im a seaweed “blind,” one. can’ toll themyie 
with wooden decoys, and have good sport. As 
spring approaches, the Sheldrakes, or Mergansers, 
especially the Reb-dreasted, become more numer- 
ous,—the males now splendid with their green- 
crested head-dress,—and come readily to the decoys. 
The little Buffle-head—Teal-like—skims over the 
bays and dodges the hunter by swimming under 
ice-fields, coming up beyond. I learned this lesson 
once when I had a flock cornered in such a way 
that I thought they could not escape when they 
undertook to dive. I waited and waited, and pres- 
ently saw them away off in another lane of water. 
When the bays are frozen over all but a narrow 
channel, the fishermen turn from fish to fowling, 
220 
