Apr. 1890.] 



AND OOLOGIST. 



55 



as to liold tlie eye entranced, and carpeted 

 with ;i texture of beautiful mosses, ferns and 

 luxurious plants that beautify every nook and 

 drooping over greet the water with a sweet 

 caress. The calm pools give back the dark 

 reflections of the foliage, and the voices of the 

 rippling shallows coinljine with the notes of 

 the joyous birds in the sweet harmony of 

 nature. 



The fish darting to its hiding place, the 

 squirrel leaping from branch to branch, and 

 the whirring grouse started from her covert by 

 the approaching footstep, give life to the 

 beautiful scene. 



And now, friend, can you wonder that the 

 weary denizen of the city, once more dropped 

 back into the days of his country boyhood, 

 should forget his mission, lose his way, and 

 here rest his weary eyes on the placid scene. 



Hut we at last emerge into what seems like 

 a travelled highway and ("ontinue our journey. 



After walking for some distance we think it 

 about time to smell salt water, but instead a 

 turn in the road discloses a pond fringed by 

 fields and dotted with water lilies, with a few 

 houses on its Ijordcr, the iijipearance of which 

 did not tally with that of any place which we 

 might expect to strike if on our jiroper course. 



" Well, old man," says my friend, "what do 

 you think about this?"." 



"Don't you know where we are?" 



" Xo, I never was here before. I will inquire 

 at this house." 



The inquiry produced the information that 

 we were at Savary's Pond, about three miles 

 south of where we should have been; and that 

 if we took a certain direction and went about 

 a mile, and then followed a foot-path and 

 tacked and gee-hawed into about forty differ- 

 ent points of the compass, we should reach our 

 desired haven of rest. All of which was as 

 clear as mud and about as cheering, but we 

 liad the general direction, and we trusted to 

 luck and our wits to coiiu' out right. 



About three miles more brought us out at 

 the proper place, and the scene which greeted 

 our eyes well repaid us for oiu- trouble. The 

 ])ond lies within twenty rods of the sea, and 

 with high tides aiul an easterly wind may 

 sometimes have its water tainted with the dash- 

 ing surf. 



We ascended the cliffs, rising about 100 feet 

 sheer above the waters edge on either side 

 the outlet of the pond, and throwing ourselves 

 on the hardy herbage, which crowns the sum- 

 mit, feasted our eyes on the scene spread out 

 below us. The sandy shores of ('ape Tod 



stretch themselves along the horizon with the 

 broad waters of the bay rolling between, dotted 

 here and there by passing vessels and by the 

 numerous boats and still more numerous buoys 

 of the lobster-men, who ply their trade in tlie 

 shallow waters. The Gulls sailed over the 

 waves, with their beautiful blue and white 

 plumage reflecting back the rays of sunshine 

 as they inclined their pinions to the varying 

 breezes. 



But time flies, and the gathering clouds 

 which had dropped several showers during the 

 forenoon, now closing in and hiding the face 

 of the sun from our view, warned us that we 

 had better be cutting out our road homeward, 

 and with a last look at the view we pulled up 

 our belts another hole and started back. 



All went well for a short time, but in the 

 course of an hour we came out of the woods 

 through which we had been travelling, and 

 another view of the sea broke upon us. But 

 how different from the other. Then the water 

 was smooth, the sun shining upon its surface 

 was reflected back by every ripple in a flash of 

 silvery fire, and the white sails were moving 

 slowly over the surface. But now all was 

 changed. Tlie wind had risen, and the boats, 

 close reefed, were scudding along with rail 

 half under the water and ever and anon hidden 

 from our sight by the bursts of rain which 

 was now steadily falling. The formerly placid 

 sea was dark and its surface, lashed by the 

 winds, was torn and whipped into spray, which 

 dashed against the rocky shores. 



But this sight, grand as it was, was an un- 

 welcome one to us, for we should then have 

 been three niiles inland, and far from the 

 sound of the surf. So, taking the first road 

 leading to the westward, we resumed our 

 weary tramp through the sandy roads with the 

 rain beating down upon us, and as the miles 

 rolled away behind us we began to come in 

 sight of familiar scenes, till about 4 p.m. we 

 came in sight of our destination, after a tramp 

 of nearly twenty-four miles, half of which was 

 through wet, sandy paths, with dripping bushes 

 sweeping us as we passed, and with the rain 

 pouring down u]ion our devoted heads. 



F. A. Bates. 



Alexander Wilson. 



It is a pleasure to inform the readers of the 

 Ornithologist and Oologist that I have negoti- 

 ated a sale of Wilson's own copy of his Ameri- 

 can Ornithology. Seven volumes of this copy 



