WOOD DUCK; SUMMER DUCK 43 



seen them for some days. Would you know the end of 



our intercourse? Goodwin shot them, and Mrs. , 



who never sailed on • the river, ate them. Of course, 

 she knows not what she did. What if I should eat her 

 canary? Thus we share each other's sins as well as 

 burdens. The lady who watches admiringly the matador 

 shares his deed. They belonged to me, as much as to any 

 one, when they were alive, but it was considered of more 



importance that Mrs. should taste the flavor of them 



dead than that I should enjoy the beauty of them alive. 

 July 27, 1860. See, twenty rods or more down- 

 stream, four or five young ducks, which appear already 

 to be disturbed by my boat. So, leaving that to attract 

 their attention, I make my way alongshore in the high 

 grass and behind the trees till I am opposite to them. 

 At a distance they appear simply black and white, as 

 they swim deep, — black backs and white throats. Now 

 I find that they have retreated a little into the ponte- 

 deria, and are very busily diving, or dipping, not im- 

 mersing their whole bodies, but their.heads and shoul- 

 ders while their bodies are perfectly perpendicular, just 

 like tame ducks. All of them close together will be in 

 this attitude at the same moment. I now see that the 

 throat, and probably upper part, at least, of breast, is 

 clear-white, and there is a clear line of white above eye 

 and on neck within a line of black; and as they stand 

 on their heads, the tips apparently of their tails (pos- 

 sibly wings??) are conspicuously white or whitish; the 

 upper part, also, is seen to be brownish rather than 

 black. I presume these to be young summer ducks, 

 though so dark ; say two-thirds grown. 



