A HERMIT'S WILD FRIENDS 



flower business did not leave me much time 

 for gadding the woods. 



The care and sale of flowers, and my last 

 trip to Ipswich Bay, decided me to discard 

 my gun. The study of the wild things at 

 t%e muzzle of a shotgun did not give me the 

 satisfaction I thought I could obtain in some 

 other way. I found the Bay shooting was 

 expensive, and the birds, which were mostly 

 coots, were not edible so far as I was con- 

 cerned. 



My last trip to Ipswich Bay convinced me 

 that I did not care for such unsatisfactory 

 dangerous sport. I had engaged a young 

 man, and he had hired a gunning boat and 

 decoys for one day. We embarked at the 

 Cut Bridge about midnight. We rowed 

 down the stream, and at daylight crossed the 

 bar at the mouth of the river. While we were 

 crossing the bar I saw several boats return- 

 ing. I hailed the nearest to find out why 

 they were coming back. " Too much wind," 

 was the answer. 



I should have turned back with the crowd, 

 158 



