150 GAME SHOAL-WATER FOWL. 



guess that will do. Take your gun and ammu- 

 nition. We will take the lunch with us, too ; 

 and there are a couple of bottles of lager-beer, 

 which is much better to drink than slough-water. 

 There, I'll take the rest. How much better walk- 

 ing it is in this bottom-timber than in the woods 

 of New England ; no underbrush to bother you, 

 and the ground level and free of stones. 



Do you see those large bunches of sticks and 

 brush in the tops of those tall trees 1 What do 

 you suppose they are ? " Nests of some kind." 

 Yes, they are the nests of the blue heron; there 

 are hundreds of them here, you see. They come 

 here every year about the middle of April, and 

 commence to build their nests for rearing their 

 young. They keep up a constant noise day and 

 night during their stay, and can be heard a con- 

 siderable distance. Here comes Jack with a crip- 

 pled duck in his mouth. Well done, old fellow ! 

 Back, now ! I want to have a look at those ducks 

 ahead of us before you scare them off. 



The slough is just there in front of us where 

 you see that opening through the trees. Be care- 

 ful, and don't step on a dry stick, and keep that 

 large maple between you and the slough. See 

 that flock come in, and what a quacking the 



