Pond Life 
to me. But it went on, and also settled 
among the bulrushes, where I could see 
its long neck and pointed yellow beak 
among the dry stems. As it went in, 
the dabchick I had seen before came 
out in a great hurry, as if she didn’t 
like the long-legged bird to be such a 
close neighbour. 
And so as the day went on I was con- 
stantly seeing fresh sights, all of them 
interesting and beautiful. The moor- 
hens were also in their most brilliant 
plumage, and their heads looked as if 
covered with bright red sealing wax. 
They were chasing one another over the 
water, and fighting and splashing, and 
chattering with excitement. Their 
fighting is more make-believe and noise 
than anything else. Each bird puts its 
head down almost level with the water, 
108 
