230 THROUGH GLADE AND MEAD. 
neath the bridges, we leave the long pastures sloping 
down to the water, leave the fields of corn waving in 
the gentle breeze and the farm-houses scattered on the 
hillsides, and soon we are again in the wilds. As we 
round a corner quickly we startle two bitterns, which 
fly into the dense shrubbery of the further shore and 
are quickly lost to our sight. We feel almost guilty for 
intruding into such a quiet nook. There is such an air 
of privacy about it, the public can have scarcely any 
rights here. 
It will be pleasant to stay a little on the edge of 
this open glade and watch the life around us. From a 
tree projecting over the water a little ahead of us come 
the sharp notes of a kingfisher; my companion’s quick 
ear has caught the fainter note of the wood-pewee, and 
he points out to me a black and white creeper on a tree 
not far away. A summer warbler flying close by alights 
in the nearest shrub, and a red squirrel is disporting 
himself yonder, rushing up and down as though his life 
depended upon it. Our attention is attracted by a 
splash in the water, and we see the kingfisher rising to 
his perch again. Apparently he was unsuccessful, for, 
see! there he goes again, straight as an arrow and 
plunges beneath the water. This time we think he has 
succeeded, for we see him no more, yet we hear a sort 
of chuckle which indicates satisfaction. The sun is now 
shining athwart the surface, so that in these shallows 
