AN EXTRAORDINARY SIGHT. 121 



where food promised to be most abundant. At times 

 all would appear to settle, when apparently some 

 false alarm would again bring the crowd upon the 

 wing, producing a reverberatory noise so loud and 

 protracted that an inexperienced human being could 

 scarcely believe that it was possible for such an ear- 

 stunning sound to be produced by all the bird life in 

 the world, if collected in a given area, from every 

 known part of the earth. Well might the farm-hand 

 say, " The fowl were coming in booming ; " no 

 better expression could he have used, for the com- 

 bined sounds of their innumerable pinions resounded 

 exactly like the " booming waters " of a mighty river 

 when hurrying in a state of flood, regardless of banks, 

 levees y and other obstacles, to launch its tawny over- 

 flow into the clear, blue-tinted ocean. It was a sight 

 to see, whether by sportsman or naturalist ; and it 

 would be hard to say in which of their minds it 

 would create the greatest wonderment. My host 

 stood still in astonishment, and even my retriever 

 looked none the less surprised. As to my own 

 feelings, they were much the same, for, although I 

 had expected to obtain grand sport, I never for a 

 moment anticipated such an embarrassment of riches. 

 I can only account for it in this way. The change of 

 weather had been so sudden, that the flights that 

 would have taken at least three days to pass were 

 compelled to leave all together their northern 

 haunts for the south at a moment's warning and 

 that the depression of temperature had so rapidly 

 travelled that no resting-place had been permitted 

 them till they had traversed an immense distance. 

 In addition to this, the large adjoining slough with 

 an immense waste corn-field upon its margin, could 

 not fail to be of great attraction to the hungry, weary, 

 travel-stained birds. 



All I have written has taken time to do it, but little 

 of it was spent in settling our plan of campaign. The 



