OUR LAKE 



loosestrife for bits of color in the water. Maples and 

 walnuts, linden clumps and dwarf oaks, slippery 

 elms and ironwoods in a tangle of grape, bittersweet 

 and Virginia creeper make this a favorite haunt for 

 birds and beasts — not to say humans — and a grassy path 

 to the rustic tea-house became a necessary invasion. 



In this bay a pair of coots settle down for weeks 

 each autumn; a kingfisher constantly flies back and 

 forth from island point to willow, every now and then 

 diving into the water for his prey; and one morning 

 we discovered a mink's nest hidden beneath a mass 

 of poison ivy! A guest well versed in the lore 

 of the animal kingdom, wandering alone on the island 

 at nightfall, had heard a queer cry like the mew of a 

 very young kitten coming from beneath the shelving 

 bank; so by the light of day we must needs take a boat 

 and search along the waterside for the cause. Two 

 or three hollows and one small but deep excavation 

 close to the water, all abounding in clam shells and 

 recently munched fish bones, betrayed the home of 

 Mr. Mink. But of him and his progeny we did not 



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