THE HALCYON IN CANADA. 237 



about half the distance was passed over he began to 

 waver and hesitate. To encourage him I stopped 

 casting, and taking off my hat began to wave it 

 slowly to and fro, as in the act of fanning myself. 

 This started him again, this was a new trait in 

 the creature that he must scrutinize more closely. 

 On he came, till all his markings were distinctly 

 seen. With one hand I pulled a little revolver from 

 my hip pocket, and when the loon was about fifty 

 yards distant and had begun to sidle around me, I 

 fired : at the flash I saw two webbed feet twinkle in 

 the air, and the loon was gone ! Lead could not 

 have gone down so quickly. The bullet cut across 

 the circles where he disappeared. In a few moments 

 he reappeared a couple of hundred yards away. 

 " Ha-ha-ha-a-a," said he, " ha-ha-ha-a-a," and " ha-ha- 

 ha-a-a," said his comrades, who had been looking on ; 

 and "ha-ha-ha-a-a," said we all, echo included. He 

 approached a second time, but not so closely, and 

 when I began to creep back toward the shore with 

 my heavy craft, pawing the water first upon one side, 

 then the other, he followed, and with ironical laughter 

 witnessed my efforts to stem the current at the head 

 of the lake. I confess it was enough to make a more 

 solemn bird than the loon laugh, but it was no fun for 

 me, and generally required my last pound of steam. 



The loons flew back and forth from one lake to 

 the other, and their voices were about the only nota- 

 ble wild sounds to be heard. 



One afternoon quite unexpectedly I struck my 



