lOI 



together at the farther side, looking straight 

 at the bank where I lay. Then they drew 

 gradually nearer till they were again within ^ tOi'Id Duck 

 the fringe of water grass. Some of them sat 

 quite up on their tails by a vigorous use of 

 their wings, and stretched their necks to look 

 over the low bank. Just keeping still saved 

 me. In five minutes they were quiet again; 

 even the young duck seemed to have forgot- 

 ten her vanity and gone to sleep with the 

 others. 



Two or three hours I lay thus and watched 

 them through the grass, spying very rudely, 

 no doubt, into the seclusion of their home 

 life. As the long shadow of the western hill 

 stretched across the pool, the ducks awoke 

 one by one from their nap and began to stir 

 about in preparation for departure. Soon 

 they were collected at the center of the open 

 water, where they sat for a moment very still, 

 heads up, and ready. If there was any signal 

 given I did not hear it. At the same moment 

 each pair of wings struck the water with a 

 sharp splash, and they shot straight up in 

 that remarkable way of theirs, as if thrown 



