FRIENDS IN FEATHERS 



pare a pair of deer horns for mounting, so I slipped away to search 

 for the haunt of the Heron. 



The row up the river was delightful. For once the veil of 

 nature was lifted everywhere. I could see as far as my eyes could 

 penetrate, while even the water hid no mysteries. The air was 

 clear and cool, touched with the odour of balsam, and sweeping in 

 light breezes. The sky was a great arch of blue, with lazy floating 

 clouds; the sun not too ardent in his attentions. On either hand 

 the marsh"was teeming with life. There were tracks beside the 

 water edge where deer and bear came down to drink, small water- 

 rats and beaver lived in the banks, and in the rushes were Duck, 

 Teal, Plover, Heron every kind of northern water-bird you 

 could mention. This river was the first of my experience to give 

 up its secrets. The bed was white sand, washed of every im- 

 purity by a swift current, while the water was pure and clear. At 

 a depth of twenty and even thirty feet I could see every detail of 

 the bed. 



I have not time to tell of its wonders and mysteries in mineral 

 formation; its dainty growing vines and mosses. But the water 

 folk! If you never saw such a spot you can not dream how 

 beautiful it is. The flowers on the bank or the birds and butter- 

 flies of the air were not more gaily coloured than the fish of that 

 little river. Every shade of silver was striped and mottled with 

 green, yellow, blue and red. Pike that seemed half as long as the 

 boat swam past or darted under it. Big black bass, the kind that 

 wreck your tackle and keep it, swam lazily unless moved to a 

 sudden dart after small fry. There were a few rainbow trout, 

 innumerable speckled perch, shad, and the most beautiful big 

 sunfish. Occasionally an eel, monster turtles, sometimes a musk- 

 rat and a few water-puppies came slowly into sight and as slowly 

 vanished. Oh, I could not row very fast on that river! And it 

 was no wonder Herons and Cranes stalked with slowly lifted feet 



