270 THE MOOR AND THE LOCH. 



try every ruse ere he yields up his life. When hunted, and 

 when want of air forces him to the surface, he either takes 

 advantage of a water-leaf to cover the tip of his nose, all the 

 rest of him being immersed, or comes up under some rotten 

 stump precisely his own muddy colour. Flapper-shooters 

 may notice the same instinct, when they surprise a brood of 

 ducklings, though in a far less degree. At the signal of the 

 mother they all dive, but come to the top again so stealthily 

 some under a screen of weeds, wrapped round them like a 

 green veil, and others hidden by a hollow bank or root that, 

 although several are within a few yards, none may be detected 

 until they are winded by the sagacious retriever. 



