178 



SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 



not of very splendid plumage. The sides of 

 the canal were covered with feathers of the 

 ducks from the lake of Chalco, which had 

 been plucked and thrown away by the market* 

 people, to whom they are of no value. We 

 admired the dexterity with which the numbers 

 of canoes we met were navigated. Some were 

 so small as scarcely to support the weight of 

 the person they contained — these were im- 

 pelled forwards by a small paddle. I fear 

 the reader may think these accounts tedious, 

 but on me the recollection of a day spent in 

 such a manner leaves a stronger and more 

 pleasurable impression than those passed in 

 more polished society, where it but too often 

 happens that all around is hollow and artificial. 



