ing something large drop from the top of this same 

 elm into the water. I immediately saw that it was the 

 old Sheldrake and that she was swimming around 

 close to the shore. 



In a few seconds another dropped from the hole to 

 the ground and I could see it run down the bank and 

 join its Mother who was calling loudly and turning 

 round and round in the water. This one was quickly 

 followed by others in succession until there were seven. 

 By this time I had called my guide and in company 

 of one of the members of the Club was crossing the 

 river, provided with trout landing nets. 



The old bird seeing us immediately swam up stream 

 around the jjoint with her brood and this was the last 

 we saw of her. We landed and stood under the tree 

 where we could hear distinctly more young ducks 

 peeping in the hole. Looking up we saw one totter- 

 ing on the edge, and before we could take stations 

 where we could properly observe the actual drop he 

 had struck the ground close to my friend and made 

 such rapid progress toward the water that he escaped 

 in spite of landing nets. In a few seconds anothel^, 

 which proved to be the last, followed, falling on the 

 other side of the tree, and I i^romptly made him cap- 

 tive. The first bird was in the water and had imme- 

 diately dived. 



It is strange that he should have known enough to 

 seek the water, and also to dive immediately. 



He could only have known which way the water was 

 by looking before he fell to the ground, for once on 

 the grassj^ bank it would seem impossible that he could 

 have seen which way to go, and he had no mother to 



21 



