Every day for a fortnight a man came in a boat to scatter corn in therushes at a certain point along the bank of the Big River, and everyday Blacky the Crow watched him and shook his yellow head and talkedto himself and told himself that he didn't like it, and that he wassure that it was for no good purpose. Sometimes Blacky watched froma distance, and occasionally he flew right over the man. But never oncedid the man have a gun with him.

Every night, fairly early, Blacky flew over there, and every nighthe found Dusky the Black Duck and his flock in the rushes and wildrice at that particular place, and he really knew that they had been thereall night, He knew that they had come in there just at dusk thenight before, to feast on the yellow corn the man had scatteblackthere in the night.