288 UPLAND AND MEADOW. 



dated. Even during the annual summer drought they 

 stuck closely to their nest, and if they or their young 

 suffered from want of water, they kept the matter to 

 themselves. They raised two broods successfully, and 

 the bird that I saw this evening was probably one of 

 the parent birds, leaving its upland home for the last 

 time, until the early flowers and warm sunshine of April 

 tempts him back again. 



October 7. — It by no means follows, because I have 

 seen no coots during tlie summer, that none were here. 

 I think it strange, of course, for I have been thinking 

 of late that nothing escaped my notice, inasmuch as I 

 have seen so much ; but this is one of those unfortunate 

 blunders, common to all mankind. I find my brotlier- 

 naturalists are all inclined to overrate their powers of 

 observation. The truth is, if one's mind is on objects 

 of a wholly different character, coots might be directly 

 in one's path and not be seen. Looking for arrowheads, 

 one morning, I was startled by a shrill " Look out !" that 

 a neighbor kindly shouted. Looking up, I saw an es- 

 caped bull coming towards me. Since then I am never 

 sure that I have seen everything that was to be seen in 

 the course of my walk. Had that bull been of a peace- 

 ful disposition I might have passed him by without 

 knowing it. To-day I did see a half-dozen wild geese 

 flying down tlie river, and so, at the very outset, was 

 prepared to see water -fowl of all sorts, if such were 

 about. This explains the fact that no sooner had I 

 reached " Birch Point," on Poaetquissings, than I saw a 

 coot — for me, the flrst coot of the season. It stared 



