FIELD-DAYS IN CALIFORNIA 



a license to fish in the lake, pushed out a boat ; 

 and instantly the air swarmed with ducks, a thou- 

 sand or two, and in another moment the swans 

 gave cry, and soon every bird of them was on 

 the wing. 



Would they turn and light again ? No, this 

 time they were thoroughly frightened ; and in a 

 long line, not in Indian file, as they commonly 

 moved when swimming, but side by side, they 

 rose over the low, rounded, grassy hill opposite 

 me (a sight surpassing all imagination, the sun 

 shining full on all those snow-white wings), and 

 in a few seconds were out of sight. The lake, 

 which had been covered with birds a minute or 

 two before, was now, except for a few hundred 

 coots, all but deserted. 



Needless to say what my feelings were toward 

 those miserable fishermen, who trolled heedlessly 

 along the shore, and to my heartfelt delight 

 caught nothing. 



The one pleasant feature of the case was that 

 the superintendent of the ranch shared my sen- 

 timents to the full, and declared that no more 

 fishing-permits should be granted to anybody as 

 long as the bird season lasted. Indeed, the swans 

 had been one of the chief attractions of the 

 place, the more so as no one could remember 

 having seen them there before. 

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