220 NEWS FROM THE BIRDS. 



my bearings ; tliere was my little, ever-present 

 friend. From far out in the inaccessible swamps 

 — at least, I liad not tlie courage to wade into 

 them more than a rod or two — Carolina's lay 

 came swinging merrily all day long. At Pass 

 Christian, a famous summering^ and winteiino; 

 place for that part of the South, Carolina mingled 

 his song with the solemn swash of the waters of 

 the Mexican Gulf ; and, with a little touch of 

 fancy and sentiment, one might say that the 

 sigh of the sea and the song of the bird made 

 pleasant concord by very contrast. 



He is not a shy bird, even in his most se- 

 questered haunts — that is, when he does not 

 choose to be, for Carolina is somewhat capri- 

 cious — but he will come close to you, eye you 

 inquiringly, utter his warniug or complaining 

 call, perhaps pass a joke about your tramplike 

 appearance, and then go off about his business, 

 expecting you to go about yours. In casting 

 around for an apt sobriquet for this engaging 

 bird, I have decided that he is deserving of the 

 title of " High Priest of Everywhere." 



