MAIDS AND MALLARDS 297 



appeal to these birds of passage, who alight long 

 enough to fill their crops with our wild rice and 

 celery, and then take wing for other feeding- 

 grounds. This kind of life seems fitted for mal- 

 lards and maids, and I have no quarrel with 

 either. From my view, there are happier in- 

 stincts than those which impel migration; but 

 remembering that personal views are best applied 

 to personal use, I wish both maids and mallards 

 bon voyage. 



