Merganser. 3^5 



thing. I have no doubt they returned that evening 

 all the way up to the feeding grounds where we first 

 started them ; for like the kingfishers every bird 

 seems to have his own jiiece of the stream. He never 

 fishes in his neighbor's pools, nor will he suffer any 

 poaching in his own. On the Restigouche we found 

 a brood every few miles; on other rivers less plenti- 

 fully stocked with trout they are less numerous. On 

 lakes there is often a brood at either end ; but thouo:h 

 I have watched them carefully, I ha\'e never seen 

 them cross to each other's fishing grounds. 



Once, up on the Big Toledi, I saw a curious bit 

 of their education. I was paddling across the lake 

 one clay, when I saw a shellbird lead her brood into a 

 little bay where I knew the water was shallow; and 

 immediately they began dipping, though very awk- 

 wardly. They were evidently taking their first lessons 

 in diving. The next afternoon I was near the same 

 place. I had clone fishing — or rather, frogging — 

 and had pushed the canoe into some tall grass out of 

 sight, and was sitting there just doing nothing. 



A musquash came by, and rubbed his nose against 

 the canoe, and nibbled a lily root before he noticed me. 

 A shoal of minnows were playing among the grasses 

 near by. A dragon-fly stood on his head against a 

 reed — a most difficult feat, I should think. He was 

 trying some contortion that I could n't make out, 



