THE UNCHARTED SKY 129 



link begins to change his coat, and, by the end of 

 July or the beginning of August, he is also 

 dressed like his wife, olive-buff in color, streaked 

 with black. He begins to fly south, then, and when 

 he strikes South Carolina and Georgia, where he 

 is known as the Reed-bird or Rice-bird — " 



"You mean," said the pot-hunter, interrupting, 

 "that the Bobolink an' the Rice-bird is one an' the 

 same critter!" 



"The very same bird," answered the official. 



"But every one shoots Rice-birds!" 



"I know it," the other agreed. "I've been 

 down in that section. I 've seen the high platforms 

 built in the rice-fields and the negroes standing on 

 them shouting and beating on tin pans to frighten 

 away the flocks of birds and keep them from 

 settling. And I 've seen hundreds killed in a day. ' ' 



"But they'd jest swallow the rice crop whole if 

 no one shot 'em!" 



"Yes," assented the expert, "it may work a lit- 

 tle hardship on the rice-growers to forbid the 

 shooting, for it's true that tens of thousands of 

 Bobolinks or Rice-birds, settling on a field when 

 the rice is in a milky stage, will seriously damage 

 the crop. On the other hand, we've got to think 

 of the greatest good to the greatest number and 



