THE NATURALISTS’ COMPANION. 
101 
paddled to the ‘‘carry” which was to 
lead us to Slim Pond, our next canij). 
Striking' IMiid Pond about noon, we 
])iit our canoes in ao-ain and btyjan to 
work throug'h. This pond is very cor¬ 
rectly named. The water is only about 
three feet in its deepest part, but you 
can take your paddle and stick it for 
seven feet right into the mud and then 
strike nothing solid. Not a veiy nice 
place to get tipped over in you observe, 
its only beauty lies in the multitude 
of white water-lillies which literally 
cover it, hence it is a favorite feeding- 
ground of the deer. At last we got 
through it and paddled u]) a small 
inlet to Little Slim Pond. Nothing of 
interest on this body of water, not even 
a shanty. The inlet from Little Slim 
to Slim Pond was so shallow that after 
getting stuck once or twice we pulled 
off our shoes and stockings and waded, 
pulling the canoes after ns. At last 
we were rewarded by the sight of Slim 
Pond and we immediately tumbled in¬ 
to the canoes and paddled along the 
shore in search of the shanty, which 
we found just at dusk. Building a 
good fire, we had supper and went to 
sleep, well satisfied with that day’s 
journey. 
TO BE CONTINUED. 
An Interesting Letter. 
iMcGnAwviLLE, N. Y., Jan. 8, 1886. 
(fiuis. P. Guelf 
Dear Sir:— 
Three days ago I called on Messrs. 
Bennett & Dean, curiosity dealers, 
Cortland, N. A"., and was treated to an 
examination of their large stock of 
natural history specimens. IMost cer¬ 
tainly was I entertained with its beau¬ 
ty, its diversity and endless variety. 
They have used rare judgment in their 
selections, and the excellent quality 
they offer so cheaply to collectors. 
They will be successful, for their gen¬ 
tlemanly treatment and low prices are 
adjuncts of success. J. G. BINGHAM. 
A COOT’S EGG HATCHED 
Z./Y COTTOM. 
On the 24 of June, 1885, as 1 was 
out on an egg collecting tour, I found 
ii (V)ot’s nest containing seven eggs, of 
wliich I took five, and packed 
them in cotton in my collecting box. 
On reaching home that da,y I placed 
the box which contained the eggs in a 
bureau drawer and did not open it 
again for three daj^s. Upon opening 
it the third day, I discovered that one 
of the eggs had hatched out, and the 
bird still alive. I fed the bird upon 
worms and bits of bread for three days, 
during wdiich time it prospered finely. 
I thought that as he was a water bird, 
a bath would certainly do him good, 
so I procured a basin of water and put 
him in it. He acted spry and liveR 
at the time, but on the following day 
died, I suppose from keeping him 
in the water too long. G. A. AIorris, 
Seneca Falls, N. Y. 
What an Advertiser Says. 
Los Angeles, Cal., Dec. 27, 1885. 
Charles P. Guelf 
My Dear Sir:— 
I have been so busy of late that I 
have had little or no time to attend to 
your kind favor of the 6th ult. How¬ 
ever I will insert an inch “ad.” in 
your Amluable paper on the plan so 
kindly suggested by you. I say valu¬ 
able paper without the least attempt at 
flattery, but from experience. I can 
safely say that of all the answers I 
have had from “ad’s” in at least a 
dozen different amateur and oological 
papers, at least two-thirds of the whole 
number mentioned your publication. 
I therefore feel at liberty and justified 
in saying that I think it is one of the 
best advertising mediums I have had 
the satisfaction of patronizing. 
SincereR ^miirs, 
A. M. SHIELDS. 
