IMPRESSIONS OF DENMARK. 
309 
took for a General, though I rated him a trifle lower. 
This gentleman, who proved to be an official on the 
States railway, was most attentive, and by means of 
a few words of German, we were able to explain to him 
the initial difficulty that stood in our way, in the use 
of a gun at this season being illegal. But all trouble 
disappeared before the benevolent energy of our new 
friend; within a few minutes he had brought from 
the Gendarmerie two shooting-cards (jcigt-Jcarts) avail¬ 
able for seven days. We were also lucky in getting an 
excellent water-dog, and in affectionate memory of 
Rolf, may record that he was truly the wateriest water- 
dog we ever saw. The whole day long he swam along¬ 
side our punt, or pushed, plunged, and splashed through 
reed-bed and squash-bog in an everlasting, untiring 
hunt. 
The total number of Godwits breeding on these 
marshes we estimated at seven or eight pairs, though 
their loud note, tritte-tue, tritte-tue, audible for miles, 
conveys an idea that they are much more numerous 
than is really the case. The first nest found (as above 
described) was on fairly sound ground; the next two 
on soft, and even dangerous quaking-bog, where the 
thin crust quivered and groaned for yards around 
beneath our weight, threatening in the frequent softer 
spots to give way entirely, while the imprisoned oozes 
beneath gurgled and hissed as they forced their way up 
in inky jets. But it is surprising how use begets con¬ 
fidence, and in a few days we penetrated the heart of 
squash-bogs where at first we had not dared to venture 
ten yards from the boat. On May 11th, after careful 
watching, we concluded that one pair had young, which 
