166 MALLARD. 



easy respecting the safety of the place, sweep around and above it se- 

 veral times in perfect silence, before they alight. In either case, the 

 birds immediately bathe themselves, beat their bodies Avith their Avings, 

 dive by short plunges, and cut so many capers that you might imagine 

 them to be stark mad. The fact, however, seems to be, that all this ala- 

 crity and gaiety only shews the necessity they feel of clearing themselves 

 of the insects about their plumage, as well as the pleasure they experience 

 on finding themselves in a milder climate, with abundance of food around 

 them, after a hard journey of perhaps a day and a night. They wash 

 themselves and arrange their dress, before commencing their meal ; and 

 in this other travellers would do well to imitate them. 



Now, towards the grassy margins they advance in straggling parties. 

 See how they leap from the water to bend the loaded tops of the tall reeds. 

 Woe be to the slug or snail that comes in their way. Some are probing 

 the mud beneath, and waging war against the leech, frog, or lizard, that 

 is within reach of their bills ; while many of the older birds run into the 

 woods, to fill their crops with beech-nuts and acorns, not disdaining to 

 swallow also, should they come in their way, some of the wood-mice that, 

 frightened by the approach of the foragers, hie towards their burrows. 

 The cackling they keep up would almost deafen you, were you near them ; 

 but it is suddenly stopped by the approach of some unusual enemy, and 

 at once all are silent. With heads erected on out-stretched necks, they 

 anxiously look around. It is nothing, however, but a bear, who being, 

 like themselves, fond of mast, is ploughing up the newly fallen leaves 

 ■with his muzzle, or removing an old rotting log in search of worms. The 

 ducks resume their employment. But another sound is now heard, one 

 more alarming. The bear raises himself on his hind legs, snuffs the air, 

 and with a loud snort gallops off towards the depths of his cane-brake. 

 The ducks retreat to the water, betake themselves to the centre of the 

 pool, and uttering half-stifled notes await the sight of the object they 

 dread. There the enemy cunningly advances first covered by one tree, 

 then by another. He has lost his chance of the bear, but as he is pushed 

 by hunger, a Mallard will do for the bullet of his rusty rifle. It is an 

 Indian, as you perceive by his red skin and flowing black hair, which, 

 however, has been cut close from the sides of his head. In th^ centre of 

 his dearly purchased blanket, a hole has been cut, through which he has 

 thrust his bare head, and the ragged garment, like a horse''s netting, is 

 engaged as it were in flapping off the last hungry musquitoes of the sea- 



