OUR COUNTRY LIFE 



at that time catch a glimpse; he may have been hiding 

 beneath any one of a dozen rocks or hillocks, mocking 

 both our untrained human sight and undeveloped 

 sense of smell. Later, however, we did see a mink 

 swimming near the shore in the clear water. 



Some of our friends and neighbors are kind enough 

 to own canoes, painted a harmonious green or left in 

 natural wood color; and one of my choicest memory 

 pictures is this bay as a canoe glides beneath the bridge 

 and emerges into open water, paddled by a red-coated 

 demoiselle who lingers at each lovely lily and slowly, 

 although always far too soon, disappears beyond the 

 willow tree. 



One year a pair of kingbirds built their nest upon 

 the farthest branch of the leaning walnut at the end 

 of the island. More pessimistic than they, we daily 

 expected that the nestlings would wriggle over the edge 

 and fall into the water; but no such catastrophe oc- 

 curred. The brood developed in unusual vigor and 

 later came to the olive grove, where any evening in 

 the twilight one could see the silver sheen upon their 



144 



