22 



CHAPTER V. 





CTOBER 25. — To-day was Sunday, and 

 relenting from his late fit of drowsiness 

 the great sun-god shone forth in his 

 splendour — flecking the ripples on the 

 breeze-swept Bedford Basin with the 

 golden light of daybreak and even 

 bringing back a smile to the face of 

 the dying summer. 



Who could resist a stroll on such a morning as this, 

 when even the bands of black-coated old crows indulged 

 in hoarse laughs as they straggled over to the basin for 

 a breakfast of fish or clams. Epicurean old rogues 

 these crows are, enjoying the dainty "clam" as much 

 as any unfeathered biped does. 



As I approached by way of Three Mile House, a 

 hawk sailing high overhead arrested my attention by 

 the extent and curvature of its wings, and also by its 

 loud and peculiar cry, which may be syllabled as peetle- 

 chu, peetle-chu. It was a fish-hawk, or American osprey, 

 a species which is very common in the United States, 

 and also breeds sparingly on the coasts and lakes of 

 Nova Scotia. 



Up in the fir-woods I disturbed several American 

 robins, an attractive bird and easily identified by its 

 ruddy under parts ; their note was a low inward chuck 

 or chack. I also observed a raven {Corpus corax principalis) 

 near here flying over the road ; this form is almost iden- 

 tical with our European species, and is quite common in 



