196 



a sheldrake trying in vain to fly against the 

 wind, which flung him rudely among some 

 tall reeds near me. The next moment Don, 

 my old dog, had him. In a hungry moment 

 he had driven his bill through both shells of 

 a scallop, which slipped or worked its way 

 up to his nostrils, muzzling the bird perfectly 

 with a hard shell ring. The poor fellow by 

 desperate trying could open his mouth barely 

 wide enough to drink or to swallow the 

 tiniest morsel. He must have been in this 

 condition a long time, for the bill was half 

 worn through, and he was so light that the 

 wind blew him about like a great feather 

 when he attempted to fly. 



Fortunately Don was a good retriever and 

 had brought the duck in with scarcely a quill 

 ruffled ; so I had the satisfaction of breaking 

 his bands and letting him go free with a 

 splendid rush. But the wind was too much 

 for him ; he dropped back into the water and 

 went skittering down the harbor, like a lady 

 with too much skirt and too big a hat in 

 boisterous weather. Meanwhile Don lay on 

 the sand, head up, ears up, whining eagerly 



