300 FIELD FOR ORNITHOLOGICAL RESEARCH. 



our present rashness might entail. ' A short life and 

 a merry one' was the motto which my old com- 

 panion continually quoted. I thoroughly agreed in 

 his choice of this adage, but pointed out as a strange 

 contradiction to it his grey hairs and numerous 

 years. 



As we proceeded wild ducks became more nu- 

 merous, as well as many of the smaller species of 

 aquatic fowls. Wherever the water-lilies and reeds 

 were abundant, these little beauties sported in multi- 

 tudes. Surrounded by such interesting objects no 

 one could feel lonely, nature, in her infinite wisdom, 

 affording constant food for contemplation. 



Audubon, the ornithologist, was a fortunate man 

 in having such a comparatively new field open for 

 his researches. He certainly did his work well, but 

 still there is room for others, for there are yet birds 

 to be found here whose existence is far from uni- 

 versally known. One of these is a species of jacana, 

 not so large as the bird of South America, but 

 possessed of very similar characteristics. Another 

 is a diminutive teal, fawn-coloured, with a tinge of 

 pink throughout the plumage, excessively swift upon 

 the wing and difficult of approach. For some time 

 I had known of its existence, as a year previously I 

 killed one on a slough in a favourite shooting 

 ground, at which time I was disposed to believe it 

 a lusus natures. This day I saw over a dozen, all 

 members of the same flock. 



I am inclined to believe that many different 



