BORDERS OF THE GREAT LAKE. 391 



water-fowl rose before us, amongst which was an extraordi- 

 nary variety of small bitterns of different plumage. 



We returned to breakfast satiated with the morning's 

 sport, and with proportionate appetites. 



On pursuing our voyage this day the grain-fields totally 

 disappeared, and we entered a vast inland swamp or marsh, 

 intersected by small canals, and covered with high reeds. 

 Flights of white herons, pelicans, and different sorts of cranes 

 passed continually over us, but not in shot, and no ducks were 

 visible. We attempted landing once or twice, with a view of 

 exploring the immense morass that lay stretched around us, 

 but although we were not easily daunted by a little whetting, 

 and travelled in very light marching order, were very soon 

 glad to return to our boats, and had some difficulty in extri- 

 cating ourselves from the mud, in which we now and then 

 sunk to our waists. Shooting was out of the question ; our 

 retriever, a noble dog of more than half Newfoundland 

 breed, found the treacherous bog too much for him, and felt 

 just as nervous as ourselves, and we had nothing to do but to 

 beat a retreat. 



This district, which extends for about twenty miles, and 

 to the borders of the Great Lake, has, in fact, been reclaimed 

 from it by a slow, yet persevering system of draining, and 

 the inhabitants were beginning to cultivate parts of it. 

 During winter my friend informed me it was covered by 

 innumerable flocks of wild-fowl, from every variety of the 

 swan and goose tribe to the most minute teal, but not one of 

 these birds did we see during the course of our tour. Every 

 other description of water-fowl, such as the coot and rail 

 species, sanderling, plover, curlew, bittern, and snipe we 

 found in the greatest profusion and variety, and no wild 

 animals of any kind either greeted our sight or fell a victim 

 to our guns. Towards the evening large groves of mulberry 

 trees skirted the edges of the morass; detached hills, covered 



