152 THE STORY OF A BIRD LOVER 



doctor told me he was in charge of the place, and 

 that I could rent it for a reasonable price ; which, 

 after a short negotiation, resulted in our moving 

 to what we called Gigger's Island, where we resided 

 until some time after the first of the next January. 



The little island was covered with a dense 

 growth of cabbage palmetto which concealed in 

 its shade a tiny house of three rooms, and a cis- 

 tern — a wooden tank to catch water from the 

 roof, for there was no fresh water on the island or 

 in the vicinity — of dimensions almost as great 

 as the house. With the large wall tents and 

 other conveniences soon a comfortable dwelling 

 and commodious working establishment was com- 

 pleted. Then began the labor to which all this 

 effort had been preliminary. 



The prosaic name " Gigger's " could not be tol- 

 erated by Mrs. Scott, who straightway called our 

 romantic retreat " Halcyon Island." This title 

 was suggested both by the peaceful calm of our 

 solitude, and the constant presence of the belted 

 kingfisher, whose point of vantage was the top- 

 most bough of the live-oak, or the summit of a 

 tall palmetto. From these heights the waters 

 surrounding the island were commanded by the 

 kingfisher's keen sight ; small fry had little chance 

 of escape when he pleased to swoop down on 

 them. The gray Spanish moss draped the 

 branches of the oaks ; clumps of dwarf palmetto 



