A LITTLE SWAN SHOOT 281 



balsam trees of mederate height. After a short 

 distance it widened out, forming a small lake, 

 bordered with patches of long grass and quite 

 shallow. From the dam one could see into this 

 small lake. On landing I got a glimpse of these 

 two white birds and mistook them for snow geese, 

 Anser Hyperboreus , of which we occasionally 

 killed a few, though they are never numerous 

 here. Squatting out quickly, I pushed the canoe 

 out, and we landed on the side where we could not 

 be seen. We each had a gun, my brother a flint 

 lock H. B. Co. gun, 24 bore, and I a double one of 

 the same guage and make, but a percussion cap 

 instead of flint I arranged that my brother was to 

 make a detour through the woods and get to the 

 eastward of them below the small lake, where he 

 was to try and get a shot if possible, and if not 

 he was to show himself and make them rise, in 

 which case they would have to fly up the outlet 

 and pass over the dam where I was stationed. All 

 being ready he started off and some few minutes 

 later I heard him shoot. Glancing down the out- 

 let through the branches I saw the two birds com- 

 ing. They were flying very low and looked awful- 

 ly big, I thought. I soon recognized them, how- 

 ever, and got ready. On they came, rising rapid- 

 ly, till about opposite to me they were some 

 thirty feet in the air. What a spread! It looked 

 as big as a blanket. Aiming at the neck I brought 

 the first one down. The other was lagging a lit- 



