428 BIRDS FROM SOUTH FLORIDA. 



regions the "birds inhabited on account of the Indians. July was pass- 

 ing away, and although I frequently turned my conversation upon 

 flamingoes to sound the people, no one offered to go except a wrecker, 

 and when the time arrived,, he had to leave for Key West; and I 

 thought that with him vanished my last hope of accomplishing my 

 object. But this was not so. About the 4th of August, a black man 

 arrived in a small boat, and told me he was going to catch flamingoes 

 to carry them to Key West for sale, where he could obtain for them 

 four or five dollars a pair. He was persuaded to wait a day in order 

 that he might have a larger boat and a white man to accompany him. 

 He was half Seminole and half negro ; but I had to look upon him as 

 the captain, as he was very skillful in the management of a boat, and 

 intimately acquainted with the channels. We started in a schooner, 

 taking a canoe in tow in which to chase the flamingoes. We soon lost 

 sight of Indian Key, to the southeast, and after having sailed about 

 three miles beyond, reached the head of the channel. The boat could 

 go no further ; so, after coming to anchor, we took to the canoe and 

 paddled onward among the countless islands, all thickly overgrown 

 with trees. We passed one where General Harney captured and hung 

 some of the Indians that burned the Key seventeen years ago. All 

 seemed still. There was no sign of human life, and only here and 

 there a solitary crane walking under the thick mangroves, or a pigeon 

 or black bird crossing from key to key. No other kind of animation 

 was seen. I began to suspect that the absence of the birds indicated 

 the presence of the Indians, and looked around for their canoes to give 

 us chase. 



After awhile, the captain shouted "The flamingoes! the flamin- 

 goes!" but I could see nothing until we had advanced another mile, 

 when I noticed two red spots apparently under two distant keys, which 

 proved to be large flocks of these birds. They started when we came 

 within half a mile, leaving six of their number behind them, which 

 our captain said were moulting, and would soon be his property. 

 Paddling as fast as we could, we soon came up with the birds, which 

 employed both legs and wings to escape us. The captain, however, 

 seized one after another and flung them into the boat, where I held 

 them fast by their legs until they could be tied. We thus captured 

 the six, and rejoicing in our success, followed the principal flock, but 

 found they could all fly. Hoisting sail, we stood to the northward, 

 going tolerably fast, and had sailed about two miles when we discov- 

 ered large numbers of flamingoes to the northwest, distant about a 

 mile and a half. The canoe being headed for them, it was some time 

 before we could see that a large number were flapping their wings 

 upon the surface of the water, propelling themselves as fast as they 

 could to escape from us, whilst others, depending upon the strength 

 of their wings for safety, stood still, but started long before we came 

 within rifle shot, and lighted at a more distant place. 



It was some time before we appeared to gain on the fugitives, and 

 as we were out of sight of our big boat, I was not very anxious to 

 continue the chase ; but the captain, anxious to make the most of the 

 expedition, urged going on ; until passing a flock of several dozen, 

 a number were caught and thrown into the canoe, where I packed 



