A MOUNTAIN POND 79 



to the right point and waited. A long 

 time passed, or what seemed a long time. 

 With so many invitations pressing upon 

 one from all sides in a vacation country, it 

 is hard sometimes to be leisurely enough 

 for the best naturalistic results. Then, 

 suddenly, I heard the expected tseep, and 

 soon the bird made its appearance. Sure 

 enough, it flew against one of the very 

 trees that my imagination had settled upon, 

 ducked under a strip of dead bark, between 

 it and the bole, remained within for half a 

 minute, and came out again. By this time 

 the second bird had appeared, and was 

 waiting its turn for admission. They were 

 feeding their young ; and so long as I 

 remained they continued their work, going 

 and coming at longer or shorter intervals. 

 I made no attempt to inspect their opera- 

 tions more nearly ; the tree stood in rather 

 deep water, and the nest was situated at an 

 altitude of perhaps twenty feet ; but I was 

 glad to see for myself, even at arm's length, 

 as it were, this curious and highly charac- 

 teristic abode of a bird which in general I 

 meet with only in its idle season. I was 

 surprised to notice that the pair had chosen 



