THE CITY PARK 55 



completing the illusion. On the banks of the island a mob 

 of glossy black shags, standing in queer human attitudes, hold 

 court; round about them swim teal, black duck, wood duck, 

 and the quaint little white-faced coots ; and from the clump of 

 pampas grass behind comes the sweet-ringing song of a reed- 

 warbler. In the centre of the lake black swans are feeding, 

 their beautiful red bills out of sight as they pick the weeds 

 from below ; and close by a flock of tiny grebe duck in and out 

 of the water with a ridiculous regularity. Up in one corner 

 of the pond some children are feeding the birds, and ducks, 

 geese, swans, and coots hustle each other to pick up the 

 morsels. A tall Nile goose grabs all he can get, and bullies 

 the smaller fry if they come near; he is the only foreigner 

 amongst them, and he certainly has no company manners, but 

 gobbles greedily. The natives suffer it quietly as long as they 

 can, but at last a black swan swoops angrily down upon him 

 with a hiss, and the stranger takes himself off to the other side 

 of the pond, where an old man has just appeared with bread 

 in his hand. 



One could spend hours watching the antics of the birds, 

 but there is an inviting dip beyond the rise, which promises 

 fresh pleasures, and we turn towards it. Oh, that all " dips " 

 were as rich in their fulfilment ! This is no fraudulent penny 

 dip, with hidden treasures turning to a worthless bauble; here 

 are jewels rich and rare, and scattered with a prodigality un- 

 dreamed of in mid-summer. 



