All Day Afloat. 129 



Let us hope they have thoughts to occupy them, 

 for they appear to have little else ; and that their 

 wits are ready events proved. A small snake 

 passed dangerously near, and straightway these 

 little darters disappeared ; but it was a desperate 

 effort. Not a tittle of the ease of a startled pike, 

 but a heavy contortion of the whole body, rapid 

 vibration of every fin, and a mad rush for shelter. 

 In spite of this, they seemed to take in their 

 surroundings at a glance, for the snake passed by 

 without a victim, and then, reaching down, I lifted 

 here and there a flat pebble, and found these fish 

 beneath them. 



But one source of entertainment was lacking. 

 No sturgeons were seen. One hundred and forty- 

 two years ago an observing traveller passed this 

 very spot, and has left on record, " Sturgeons 

 leaped often a fathom into the air. We saw them 

 continuing this exercise all day, till we came to 

 Trenton." It is not so strange that our bird-life 

 should have lost many attractive features, as cranes 

 and pelicans, but the bottom of the river appeared 

 to offer a fairly, safe harbor for even such huge 



fishes. If increase of human population has alone 

 i 



