352 
RURAL HOURS. 
samer of the willow-herb and that of tlie silk-v/ort are perhaps 
the most beautiful kinds, so purely white, but the down lies con- 
cealed within the pods, and as soon as these are opened the seeds 
escape, flying off on their beautiful silvery plumes. The down 
of the asters and golden-rods, however, remains a long time on 
the plants ; and so does that of the fire-weed, which is very 
white. 
What ugly things are the shrivelled thistles at this season ! they 
look utterly worthless, more like the refuse of a past year than 
plants of this summer's growth ; and yet there is life in their 
withered stalks, for here and there a purple blossom is trying to 
flower among the ragged branches. 
A very large flock of wild ducks, flying northward over the 
lake, alighted on the water within half a mile of us ; there must 
have been a hundred of them, if not more. We seldom see so 
many together in our waters. 
Friday, 21th. — At early dawn this morning, just as the sky 
was becoming flushed with sun-rise colors, we saw a large flock 
of wild geese flying steadily to the southward. They moved in a 
regular wedge-shaped phalanx, as usual, with their leader a little 
in advance. Perhaps they had passed the night in our lake ; 
they are frequently seen here, though rarely shot by our " gun- 
ners." They seem often to travel by daylight. The ducks are 
said to migrate generally at night, especially the Mallard or com- 
mon wild duck. It was a beautiful sight to see the flock, this 
morning ; it reminded one of Mr. Bryant's noble " Water-fowl," 
simply, however, because one never sees the wild fowl travelling 
through the air, spring or autumn, without thinking of those fine 
verses. In the present case it was morning, and a whole flock 
