INCLEMENT WEATHER. 177 



his heart felt, and whose pleasure was to do my wilL 

 It was during this stay, at the breaking up of win- 

 ter, on a day so inclement that the most unfeeling 

 man would scarcely have turned his neighbour's dog 

 out of doors, at least not in the presence of a wit- 

 ness, if he had any desire for the respect of his 

 fellow-citizen, that I went to a marsh-margined 

 stream, to observe the effects of sleet, snow, and 

 wind, upon the migrating host of aquatic birds. My 

 retriever accompanied me, not in obedience to my 

 order, but from choice. The howling of the tem- 

 pest was only broken by the disagreeable sound, 

 slush, slush, slush, made during the process of 

 extracting my feet after each stride from the heavy, 

 wet, saturated soil. Even in the midst of such dis- 

 advantageous circumstances, numerous little inci- 

 dents were constantly coming under my observation 

 indicative of the habits of animal life, amply com- 

 pensating me for the inconvenience suffered from the 

 severity of the weather. 



At length I reached the desired stand, in the 

 centre of a stunted persimmon -bush, the brown 

 withered leaves of which, even at so far advanced a 

 period of the season, clung with tenacity to their 

 branches. , In this spot I enjoyed comparative 

 shelter, and it was an excellent place for observation. 

 Numerous flights of aquatic birds, scudding before 

 the blast, rushed past my hiding-place, unconscious 

 of my proximity, or disdaining my presence sprig- 

 tailed duck preponderating in numbers over all the 



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