The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-05-28

s..r TharnAa. The Colne, the Windrush, and
Sa- r-..ica. h.xa harmonious names
~ ~ 4s s1HNN -. .,;I.. hat~Aan lov Int
Mlnus g. ON. 80 attrsct. - its
nrist surface most Of the wild TOW OF the
r~sc,a v.ia. AZ The nrst glance it was evil
~ 80. -. -.-h.,. v.ra "a va hardly
0ons ShAs sAeaE Aunaoo.s -
11ntnishsd ~ departures : ,o.'
Much Of the surface was SSH ooversu ny ice
and snow. and inst Of the edgs o. the ioe
800 s~sls 49, rsra heard
from AZ PARIS q 'ne open -;aaaan
the constant muslcal WnisslS - .1keon
"a Aaal. the duacking Of the mallerds, the
r--..- ...-t = N. swans. and the croak of
A ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS more suggest
0ooss ano "oo.AoA An.r.t ri.bt
~ q roc na.Do, ,.assh ~ tb.
than Sc 1 midland lake IN Marcn. IN tho
further bank, summing themselves on the
sinninr turf. and sheltered from the WIND
1870 = acore Of mallards and their mates,
ssvhi0h rose with much angry uuacklng q
Fnrotest a aherd Of deer came trottine doWn
Sfo drink at the very spot which they nao
chosen for their chilly siesta. ~ was, now
ever,. no wanton intfnslon y ~ frss IRON
fat shat spot only was the shore Iroe iiu :
icc. whore sonle land spring broke tne
frozen boundary. Meantime the sun came
ont with 1 warmth which could pc folt, ana
y second flock Of wild ducks broke lnto
ecstacy II such an earnest Of the coming
sprinc, Beating it's wings upon tne water,
each mallard rushed across me lake; tnsn
diving, they ~resppsared beside tncar inates'
and went through = kind Of water tourna-
mont. with much splashinR and noise. IN
she course OF this amusement one OF tne
performers came up from the depths almosb
under an old cock swan, which was Sleeping
With III head under the blanksts.zsna
N TO- Say, its winR-coverts-and re-
VNented the disturbance .by 9 vicious
hite which called the whole company to
order. Most inland lakes except those
Surrey pools where the water seems 70 De
hsld naturally upon an ironstone Dotsom'
1rs rivsr-fsd, and shallow and sedRya az the
head where the stream enters.
lake II no exception to TINS rule; ana some
acres 1t its upper end are covered ~ Seilow
reeds, through which the Gleam GUYS a
winding ehannel OF dsep-Rreen water. lhls
ID natural cover for the fowl. ana. though
frost and snow had beaten down the seoge,
- was alivo with ccots and snlpe ana moor
hens. There, from behind . tree We
watched for some time = snlpe conrtang' az
least % We judged, for the object OF ITS
attentions was cencealed IN a little tn1s OF
hedge, The snipe ran aroand TINS power
setting up its wings and flirting Its tall IN a
very gallant fashion. turning roand ana
bowling with Al the airs ana Rraces OF a
piQeon making love. At the extreme head
of the lake, in the swift, narrow current OF
tho Clean, 4 feet Of swans were feeding,
one behind the other. an old COCK,
p~rodt-nsxt'to the conduit from whlcn the
water enters. By hiding behind the bridge
parapet for some time, and thsn carefully
pesrinC over, it was possible to observe
exactly the way in which a swan feeds IN
water Just deep enough to make IT neces-
sary Tor il to invert its body in order to
reach the bottom. The neck wa partly
bent, and the crown Of the head touched
tho bottom, its head and neck being usea
exactly like . bent handled hoe to search
among the gravel and stones. Its neaa was
dssply Hinged with red from the iron 60
luton in the water and mud. The result OF
stiffness and partial consealmsnt in watch
Ing wild animals was we'll illustrated dur
ing the ten minutes spent in observing the
wan Water mems seemed to spring from
the Hattsned sedge by magic, as If rising
from the ground, and launched themselves
on the stream, or tripped about feeding
among tbs ssdges, where the ground was
rapidly thawing.
The head and western bank of the lake
are friupsd with q narrow belt of young
plantation, made partly with a view OF
sheltering the wild fowl, partly to screen
tho PANS when the birds are shot in winter.
The lakekeeper, whose cottage stands al
ths head Of the water, quoted as an OK.
ample Of tho number of fowl that collect in
severe weatheriat Blenheim, that ON one
occasion three Huns shot 112 snipe and be
tween forty and fifty wild duck and teal
But the birds are seldom shot, and at the
J time Of our visit seemed quite aware thai
ne harm was intended; and as we passed
scloso 10 the water on the opposite side tc
1that from which we had approached, partl,
iscrsensd by the belt of young trees. theJ
ishowed little inclination to leave tho water
with the exception of a solitary heron
which, after Watching ug u~neasily for some
lme, rose with a croak, and after lappins
bme way, with its dangling toes touohins
ice, rose high in the air, and flew
steadily in the direction of Wythan
woods, where the hen birds are
slrssdv sitting on their epos. viewed
from the western shore. thu
scene was in bright contrast to the prevail,
ing stsoly monstony of an English land
seape in March. The tops of the over