14 HILLSIDE, ROCK, AND DALE 



The two white swans "on guard" in the centre 

 of the large lake raise their heads and swim slowly 

 in our direction ; the male raises his wings and hisses, 

 evidently wondering what two such very early visitors 

 can want there. At his note of anger a moor-hen flies 

 from the reeds, dragging his hanging legs across the 

 water, making little splashes, brightened with a touch 

 of gold by the rising sun. Others follow ; a coot 

 swims out, and on his loud alarm beck, a heron, 

 which we just have time to see standing "almost to 

 his breast feathers in the water, raises his great wings 

 and flies to a prominent dead branch on the small 

 wooded island. He, too, cannot understand why he 

 should thus be disturbed at his early morning meal. 

 Now seeing us he once more opens his wings and 

 is gone. 



Swish, splash, quack-ack, ack quack ! What a com- 

 motion ! A wild duck, greatly alarmed, is almost 

 trodden upon as we go through the reeds. Away he 

 flies, quacking and beating the water with his wings ; 

 then up above the island trees, and round he goes, 

 followed by others. Now they pass us, their wings 

 whistling as they swiftly go by; a few more flights 

 round, and the leader enters the water by sliding into 

 it, and all follow his example. But this will not do ; 

 we are scaring the feathered inhabitants of this 

 favoured piece of -water. We hide behind a mound 

 of earth therefore, and peering through the reeds 



