80 I^ FLORIDA. 



it was a small one, and give me an opportunity to 

 play mine with the light tackle that I was using. 

 We saved them both, but they were only the fore- 

 runners of an unlimited number. The spoon did 

 undoubtedly kill the most, but there were all that 

 we both wanted, ten times over, and we had to stop 

 fishing, to avoid destroying more than w^e could use. 

 I had the satisfaction of catching the largest, how- 

 ever, with the fly. 



We had brought a gun, as well as our fishing 

 tackle. Suddenly from out the bushes there rose 

 with much noise and flurry a large bird. I liad 

 liardly time to grab my gun, before he was out of 

 range, and although I fired, it was ineffectually. 



^^ Oh, I am sorry you missed him," said Mr. 

 Green sadly, for he always takes a dejected view of 

 other people's failures, ^' that was a Limpkin, and I 

 should like to have got him.'' 



"1 thought it was a water turkey," I replied, re- 

 ferring to the queer creature that we had seen on 

 ever stick and stump in tlie St. John's. ^' But what- 

 ever it was, it was out of range when I fired." 



" I think lie was a Limpkin," persisted my com- 

 panion, '^ don't you, Charley?" 



The stream was becoming rapidly narrower, and 

 as that made the fishing more difficult, and we had 

 all the fish w^e wanted, we took in our lines. Soon 

 Charley had to cease rowing and resort to poling. 

 We finally came to where it was so narrow that 

 there was scarcely room for the boat, and the over- 

 hanging branches and bushes swept against our 



