A MORNING WITH NATURE, ETC. 247 
Where they all came from it was impossible to tell. 
The air was full of them ; they came singly, in pairs, 
and in flocks ; the very heavens seemed to be casting 
out ducks. There was no hesitation on the arrival of 
the new-comers ; this seemed to be the place they long 
had sought. There was no timid circling to see if 
danger lurked in the overhanging willows, and with 
the utmost abandon they came down gracefully, lighting 
upon the placid water. They came from every direction, 
there appearing to be ore constant deluge of living 
feathers. A shining of green, white, slate, and purple 
feathers. I close my eyes and see the sight even now. 
In my imagination I see some old drake coming down 
with bowed wings: down, down he comes untilit seems 
as if every bone in his body would be smashed by the 
concussion with the water, such is the speed with which 
he is descending: when, perhaps thirty feet from the 
water, he reverses his position, his head is elevated, his 
neck is thrown into a graceful curve, his breast swells 
out, his yellow feet extend before him, his wings flutter 
swiftly, and, instead of meeting his doom, he gracefully 
drops with a gentle splash among his waiting compan- 
ions, who greet him with loud quackings of welcome, 
which he acknowledges by a gentle, grating chuckle, and 
a graceful nodding of his shining head. 
How quietly we laid behind the fallen log, and how 
we enjoyed the weird, wild scene, to watch, unbeknown 
to them, the ducks in their quiet midday retreat. It 
seemed almost sacreligious to wantonly intrude on their 
privacy, and ruthlessly drive them away from this quiet 
place by loud reports and death-dealing guns. But we 
were too practical to allow the romance of the situation 
to influence our object in coming, and simultaneously 
