ON LONELY BIRD KEY 



93 



night for the "crawHng" of the great turtles, bathing in the 

 Hmpid waters of the Gulf, upon the warm sandy beach gather- 

 ing curious sea-weeds, bright shells, sponges, and corals, 

 reading, forsooth, — as did my companion aloud to me from 



SOOTY TEKN OVER EGG 



the poems of Longfellow, as we sat at dusk looking out upon 

 the sea and watched the Man-o'-War Birds soar and the terns 

 come back with edible tidings from afar, — and at night, free 

 from insect annoyance, — for there are few mosquitoes on 

 the Dry Tortugas, — be lulled to slumber on the open porch 

 by the weird cries of the birds ! This is living, indeed ! 



Had it not been for the Sooty Terns, this lone key would 

 have been a quiet spot. The great Man-o'-War Birds, seem- 



