70 



THE DESERT 



Wild fowl. 



Herons and 

 bitterns. 



of oars breaks the air with a jar, but breaks no 

 bubbles on the water. You look long at the 

 stream and fall to wondering if there can be 

 any life in it. What besides a polywog or a 

 bullhead could live there ? Obviously, and in 

 fact nothing. Perhaps there are otter and 

 beaver living along the pockets in the banks ? 

 Yes ; there were otter and beaver here at one 

 time, but they are very scarce to-day. But 

 there are wild fowl ? Yes ; in the spring and 

 fall the geese and ducks follow the river in 

 their flights, but they do not like the red water. 

 What proof ? Because they do not stop long in 

 any one place. They swing into a bayou or 

 slough late at night and go out at early dawn. 

 They do not love the stream, but wild fowl on 

 their migratory flights must have water, and 

 this river is the only one between the Eockies 

 and the Pacific that runs north and south. 



The blue herons and the bitterns do not mind 

 the red mud or the red water, in fact they 

 rather like it ; but they were always solitary 

 people of the sedge. They prowl about the 

 marshes alone and the swish of oars drives them 

 into the air with a guttural "Quowk." And 

 there are snipe here, bands of them, flashing 

 their wings in the sun as they wheel over the 



