i6o THE STORY OF A BIRD LOVER 



impression of a vast commotion created by myriads 

 of living creatures. Added to the whole was an 

 air of mystery that was one of its charms. Again 

 and again we rowed in a boat toward the setting 

 sun far out into the Gulf to discover, if we could, 

 the beginning of this chaos of sound, to find the 

 outposts of the throng who joined in such a 

 chorus. These excursions were futile; the far- 

 ther we went, so far the aggregate of noise trav- 

 elled beyond us. The mystery was always just 

 under the setting sun ! 



The town of Cedar Keys was some thirty miles 

 to the north of us on the Gulf, and at this time 

 and for years before this port had been the scene 

 of great commercial activity, based almost en- 

 tirely on the exportation of cedar logs, the wood 

 of which was used in the manufacture of lead pen- 

 cils. The Fabers and all the great foreign and 

 American houses had agents at Cedar Keys, 

 and thither were taken for reshipment the cargoes 

 of cedar logs collected from the swamps of the 

 adjacent Gulf Coast. 



The poor whites of this region presented many 

 curious and unaccountable phases of ignorance. 

 Shortly after my arrival I offered a stipulated 

 price for certain birds such as the ivory-billed 

 woodpecker, and at first I obtained some speci- 

 mens, but later such people as I could get to do 

 this sort of thing for me refused, or excused them- 



