THE FOX AND THE WILD-FOWL. 125

He was lying one summer day under the shelter of some
shrubs on the banks of the Tweed, when he heard the cries
of wild-fowl, attended by a great deal of fluttering and
splashing. On looking round, he saw a large brood of ducks,
which had been disturbed by the drifting of a fir branch

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among them. After circling in the air for a little time, they
again settled down on their feeding-ground.

Two or three minutes elapsed, when the same event again
occurred—a branch drifted down with the stream into the
midst of the ducks, and startled them. Once more they rose
upon the wing, screaming loudly; but when the harmless
bough had drifted by, they settled down on the water as