200 Mr. G. C. Taylor on the Birds observed 



his capacity as pilot on the live-oak vessels^ endeavouring to get 

 them to sea_, that I could not persuade him to go on a hunt any- 

 where for more than a few hours. The wind having been in- 

 variably east raises such a surf on the bar that some of these 

 vessels have been waiting for weeks to get over, and may have to 

 remain some time longer. His son George, whom I had intended 

 to have engaged to take me down Indian River with his boat 

 and tent, was away with the two Englishmen, H. and L., and 

 only returned a few days ago to start off again today in search of 

 a doctor for a sick man in the house, who afterwards died. The 

 coloured man, Bill, a very good cook and camp servant, who was 

 also away with H. and L., was engaged as soon as he returned 

 to attend upon the sick man, or I should have taken him. So 

 I could do nothing but potter about the house. It is now too 

 late to go down Indian River, for there the birds have done 

 breeding. Mosquitoes are vigorous, and the weather is very hot. 

 Winter is the time for this locality ; one can then combine 

 shooting, fishing, and bird-collecting. Wild Ducks of various 

 kinds, which have now gone north, are then plentiful. Drum 

 and Sheepshead, two excellent fishes, may be caught in quanti- 

 ties, to say nothing of the superior sport of spearing Saw-fishes 

 and Alligators. 



I shall now try my luck further north, for there is nothing 

 more to be done hereabouts. I must say that Sheldon's is a 

 satisfactory place to stay at. There is a never-failing supply of 

 fresh fish, oysters, turtle, venison, wild turkey, &c. ; and the 

 house is far more comfortable than many large hotels I have 

 been at in both Europe and America of immense pretensions 

 and charges to match. At Sheldon's I meet with the greatest 

 civility, and the charges are exceedingly moderate. A very plea- 

 sant custom prevails here. On each side of the house is a 

 small altar of stone ; on one or the other, according to the direc- 

 tion of the wind, a camp-fire is built up every night at dark. 

 The smoke keeps off mosquitoes and sand-flies, and the fire dis- 

 pels the gloom and gives a cheerful aspect to the locality. 



For further particulars respecting the birds of this locality, I 

 must refer the reader to Dr. Bryant's notes on the Bii-ds of East 

 Florida, in the 'Proceedings of the Boston Society of Natural 



