SPORT IN ONTARIO 149 



in the season must have borne man}^ bushels of rich and 

 luscious fruit ; in fact, the farmer assured me that his better 

 half had made over one hundredweight of jam from their 

 delicately flavoured berries. 



As we approached nearer the lagoon, my companion 

 drew my attention to a small " paddling " of mixed fowl 

 resting on the water and apparently asleep, within easy 

 range of the shore. Clutching old " Zaza," who began 

 to evince signs of excitement at the appearance of the 

 fowl, Mac ordered her in a whisper to lie do\Mi, and she 

 dropped still as a log into the growth of blueberry bushes. 

 Then, taking advantage of the patches of low scrub 

 which grew down to the very edge of the lake, the 

 farmer and I commenced to stalk the duck, crawling 

 cat-fashion on all fours, and as silently as a couple of 

 kittens. 



I shall not very quickly forget that long and painful 

 crawl — painful owing to the ground being strewn in 

 parts with the husks of spine-covered hazel-nuts, which 

 stuck on one's hands and knees like so many needle 

 points ; long because we had to dodge in and out amongst 

 the under-covert to remain hidden from the duck. 



At length my companion stopped crawling, and then 

 signalled me to kneel. This I did, and upon peering 

 through the foliage of a belt of evergreens I discovered 

 that the paddling of fowl, consisting of mallard, red- 

 head, and green-wing teal, was within forty yards' 

 range of us, and apparently oblivious of the fact that 

 danger lurked so near at hand. 



Up went the pump-gun to the farmer's shoulder, and, 

 pulling into the midst of some nine or ten red-heads 

 which sat huddled together, three of their number 



