98 HILLSIDE, ROCK, AND DALE 



web woven in them, and these show now that the 

 morning dew is brightened by the sun. At the 

 end of the lake a weeping-willow, almost hidden in 

 the autumn mist, droops over the still water. If we 

 hide here and wait for the mists to rise we shall see 

 more of bird life than in the fields. As we near our 

 place of shelter we come unexpectedly upon a herd 

 of deer ; they just look in our direction and then 

 scamper away out of view. When the sun reaches 

 his zenith we can see right across the lake, and all 

 but the far distance is misty. The deer, now resting 

 under the shade of trees, can also be seen reflected 

 in the water ; for the surface is like a mirror, only 

 disturbed as a gleaming silver fish jumps out, or when 

 the water-birds loudly paddle and splash near the 

 edge of the reed-fringed shore. Now round about 

 the willow there is a movement, and out swims a 

 duck. Slowly she proceeds down the lake, leaving 

 behind a track of ripples in the shape of the letter 

 V, ever widening, until the ends touch each shore. 

 Others join her, and then all engage together in a 

 merry splashing and loud quacking. On the opposite 

 banks seven moor-hens are leisurely feeding. Some are 

 resting on the dusty ground ; for although the dews 

 are so heavy the ground seems to remain dry. There 

 is this difference between the dew of autumn and 

 that of earlier summer ; the latter rises out of the 

 ground and saturates the lower parts of the plants 



