260 EARLY SPRING IN MASSACHUSETTS. 
have got me, do you? But I shall wear a hole 
in your pocket at last, or if you put me in your 
cabinet, your heir or great-grandson will forget 
me, or throw me out of the window directly, or 
when the house falls, I shall drop into the cel¬ 
lar, and then I shall be quite at home again, 
ready to be found again. Perhaps some new 
red man, that is to come, will fit me to a shaft 
and make me do his bidding for a bow shot; 
what reck I ? ” 
The meadows, which are still covered far and 
wide, are quite alive with black ducks. When 
walking about on the low eastern shore at the 
Bedford bound, I heard a faint honk, and 
looked around near the water with my glass, 
thinking it came from that side or perhaps from 
a farm-yard in that direction. I soon heard it 
again, and at last we detected a great flock of 
geese passing over quite on the other side of us 
and pretty high up. From time to time one of 
the company uttered a short note, — that pecu¬ 
liarly metallic, clangorous sound. They were 
in a single undulating line, and, as usual, one 
or two were from time to time crowded out of 
the line, apparently by the crowding of those 
in the rear, and were flying on one side and 
trying to recover their places. But at last a 
second short line was formed, meeting the long 
one at the usual angle, and making a figure 
