STOP FOR LUNCH. 31 



Travelling by rail is at no time pleasant when the train is a slow 

 one, and the prospect of an all day's trip a pretty safe one. I do 

 not mean to enter into the subject of conveniences or inconve- 

 niences of such travelling, but true it is, that one can often make 

 one's self comfortable or uncomfortable, as one desires, when placed 

 under such circumstances. Desiring the former, as by all means 

 to be preferred to the latter, I took off my tall hat and, much to 

 the apparent envy (I flatter myself judging from their looks) of 

 several persons around me, drew from my pocket, and adjusted on 

 my head, a soft, brimless, smoking cap, while I lay back in the 

 seat, head to the window and feet on the extreme end of the cush- 

 ion and against the handle bars, and read my book. Oblivious to 

 all around, I continued to peruse the before mentioned volume 

 till our noon stop at a long-platformed, spacious-roomed station. 

 Finding, here, that it would be an hour or more before the train 

 was made up that was to take us on to Quebec, or rather Point 

 Levis, as we were on the Montreal side of the river yet, I took a 

 hasty lunch in the refreshment room and then started off in the 

 direction of the river which here flowed gently by not far off, at the 

 right of the railroad track. The water was quite shallow at this 

 place, and long banks of sand extended here and there in points as 

 far as one could see. I thus walked easily half way across the 

 stream, stepping cautiously over rills and damp and soft places, 

 until I came to the main channel of the water. As far as I could 

 see, both up and down the stream, these low sand flats extended 

 fully half way across the bed of the river ; exposed now, though 

 probably a part of the year several feet under water. 



Dead shells of various species of Unio, and Anodo7i, common to 

 fresh water rivers farther south and west, were everywhere in abun- 

 dance. I gathered several distinct species, all of which probably 

 live in the river in great numbers. 



But time progressing, I unwillingly rehnquished my pleasant 

 acquaintance with these attractive natural surroundings of a place, 

 none too well known natural-history-wise, and pocketing my spec- 

 imens started for the station. To the amusement of several gen- 



