ALDERS AND REEDS. 89 



marked that the roads were wider. The reason 

 for this choice was soon evident ; for at intervals, 

 as we proceeded, he assured me very emphatically 

 that " the mead was as good as any he'd tasted 

 in his martil life." Not only this, but he showed 

 off in various imitative exercises, called forth by 

 the associations of the night. He mewed like the 

 young owls, and yapped like the old ones, finishing 

 up with a long-drawn, tremulous hoot. Then he 

 gave the cry of a rabbit when the stoat is on him ; 

 after that the sound of a hare in trouble, shrieking 

 "Aunt aunt aunt!" So very natural was this 

 last performance, that it brought some one crashing 

 down into the road from the cover some distance 

 behind us. We were soon out of sight, but Waggle 

 remarked that it would be as well to keep quiet a 

 bit. I quite agreed with him as to this, and we 

 presently parted company, Waggle turning back a 

 moment, just to observe again that "there mead 

 was real good, an' no mistake." 



This walk was taken at the beginning of the week, 

 and I had almost forgotten about those precious 

 ducklings, and was preparing to go as usual to my 

 own home in the country town, a good number of 



