AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED 



The Shelldrake is very common, and breeds 

 freely on the lake shores and up the various 

 streams. The Broad-bill and the Blue-winged 

 Teal also breed in our neighborhood, but are by 

 no means so common as the Black Duck or 

 Shelldrake. 



To me the Loon is one of the most interesting 

 birds we have about us. The beauty of his 

 plumage and his skill as a swimmer and diver are 

 unrivalled by any other water-bird in the north. 

 His cry is like the wail of a lost soul, rising out 

 of the darkness of the night. I have heard his 

 call distinctly for a distance of quite three miles, 

 though the bird itself was not visible without 

 the aid of a glass. These birds are hard to kill 

 on the water, as they dive at the flash of the gun, 

 remain under for a long time, and generally 

 appear again far out of range. It is useless to 

 try to get very near to them ; so a rifle must 

 always be used, and I suppose that more than a 

 hundred shots are fired at loons in the State 

 of Maine, for every one that is killed. Three 

 loons having been seen on one occasion, the 

 little launch we were on bore down upon them, 

 and firing began as soon as we were within range. 

 Finally the birds came to the surface within pos- 



I02 



