AUGUST BIRDS IN CAPE BRETON. 85 



Edward Island could be seen as a long, low ha- 

 ven for a sinking sun to rest upon ; the sky was 

 radiant with color, and the lake's slightly ruffled 

 surface took the color and glorified it in count- 

 less moving lines of beauty. From the gold 

 sky and over the gold water the black eagle 

 came eastward, swiftly and with resistless flight. 

 Nearer and nearer he came, until his image dwelt 

 for a moment in the still stream, then vanished 

 as he swept past above the bridge, and bore on- 

 ward to the dark hills clad in their spruces and 

 balsams. He seemed like the restless spirit of 

 the day departing before the sweet presence of 

 sleepy night. 



Below the bridge, Trout Brook runs a score 

 of rods between sandy beaches to a bar which 

 half cuts it off from the lake. Upon this bar 

 sandpipers were gathering by twos and threes, 

 until their numbers attracted my attention. I 

 strolled slowly towards them, crossing wide lev- 

 els of sand, from which coarse grasses, sedges, 

 and a few stiff-stalked shrubs sprung in sparse 

 growth, and upon which a few clusters of 

 rounded stones broke the evenness of the beach. 

 As I drew near the margin of the lake the sand- 

 pipers rose, " peep-sweeting " as they flew, and 

 with deeply dipping wings vibrated away over 

 the water ; heading at first towards the fading 

 sunset, then sweeping inshore again, and alight- 



