Then there was the general aspect of the great lake, especially at a
spot where two currents met, causing little waves which seemed to
fight with each other and fall backwards in curious curves. Also there
were shoals of small fish, something like chub in shape, with round
mouths and very white stomachs, which suddenly appeared upon the
surface, jumping at invisible flies. These attracted a number of birds
that resembled gulls of a light build. They had coal-black heads,
white backs, greyish wings, and slightly webbed feet, pink as coral,
with which they seized the small fish, uttering as they did so, a
peculiar and plaintive cry that ended in a long-drawn /e-e-?/. The
father of the flock, whose head seemed to be white like his back,
perhaps from age, hung above them, not troubling to fish himself, but
from time to time forcing one of the company to drop what he had
caught, which he retrieved before it reached the water. Such are some
of the small things that come back to me, though there were others too
numerous and trivial to mention.
Pages:
503
504
505
506
507
508
509
510
511
512
513
514
515
516
517
518
519
520
521
522
523
524
525
526
527