NATURE IN ACADIE. . 19 



in crossing it, as the apparent terra firma on either side 

 was merely quaking peat-moss and swamp vegetation, 

 and trembled beneath my foot, while the water oozed up 

 as though it were a great sponge, and everywhere were 

 little intersections and veins of dark-looking water. I 

 espied a very handsome frog, having the under parts 

 reddish, just here, but before I could catch it, it dis- 

 appeared in the evil-looking water of the stream. 



As I was leaving the bog, a marsh hawk came flying 

 slowly over. Such places as these are the favourite 

 haunts of this bird, as it can there find abundance of 

 prey in the shape of lizards, mice, small birds, or the 

 larger kinds of insects. This species is closely allied to 

 the hen harrier {Circus cyaneus) of the old world ; its 

 flight is slow and steady, and not very unlike that of its 

 half-cousins, the owls. 



There were abundant signs of the presence of 

 "rabbits" (Lepus arnericanus) in all the more open spots 

 here, yet I only saw one of these animals during the 

 day, and that was extremely shy. In England this 

 species is known as the " American hare," but through- 

 out Canada and the United States it is almost invariably 

 known as the "rabbit," and it is in fact not much 

 larger than our rabbit, although possessing the habits 

 and appearance of the hare ; it also has the same leaping 

 gait as the latter, the hind legs being particularly long. 



From here I passed over the adjoining ridge, and 

 after fording a little stream by means of the slippery, 

 moss-grown boulders projecting from its bed, and forcing 

 my way through the dense swamp bushes on the other 

 side, I found myself on Long Lake, which is a lake of 

 some considerable size and quite the largest one in this 

 neighbourhood. 



The spot I had reached was evidently one of the 

 most secluded on the entire lake, solitary as it was, 

 and having got to a drier and more open situation, 

 I paused awhile to view the wild and lonely scenes 

 which surrounded me. From here I could follow the 

 winding of the lake for nearly a couple of miles ahead, 

 where it became lost to view among the wooded hills. 



