TEAL 235 



thing is that at these meetings they do not, like most 

 social birds, fall into one mind, and comport themselves 

 in an orderly, disciplined manner, all being moved by 

 one contagious impulse. On the contrary, each bird 

 appears to have an impulse of his own, and to follow it 

 without regard to what his fellows may be doing. One 

 must have his bath, another his frolic; one falls to 

 courting, another to quarrelling, or even fighting, and 

 so on, and the result is a lively splashing, confused 

 performance, which is amusing to see. It was an 

 exhibition of this kind which I was so fortunate as to 

 witness at the Wolmer pond. The body-jerking antics 

 and rich, varied plumage of the drakes gave them a 

 singular as well as a beautiful appearance ; and as they 

 dashed and splashed about, sometimes not more than 

 fourteen yards from me, their motions were accompanied 

 by all the cries and calls they have their loud call, 

 which is a bright and lively sound; chatterings and 

 little, sharp, exclamatory notes ; a long trill, somewhat 

 metallic or bell-like; and a sharp, nasal cry, rapidly 

 reiterated several times, like a laugh. 



After they had worked off their excitement and 

 finished their fun they broke up into pairs and threes, 

 and went off in various directions, and I saw no more 

 of them. 



It was not until the sun had set that a snipe 

 appeared. First one rose from the marsh and began 

 to play over it in the usual manner, then another rose 

 to keep him company, and finally a third. Most of 



