Song Birds and Water Fowl 
centre of the island, as one approaches the cliffs 
fronting the ocean, I found an equal profusion 
of some leguminous plant whose abundant red, 
white and purple blossoms would pass, at a dis- 
tance, for sweet peas. From the base of the 
cliff the beach sloped for two or three hundred 
feet down to the water, and for miles east and 
west this broad expanse was without a sign of 
animation, save a pair of king-birds fluttering 
about. I then attempted to reach the opposite 
shore of the narrow island, but was soon con- 
fronted by an impenetrable mass of the densest 
prickly undergrowth and sullen pines. The 
original curse of thorns certainly struck this par- 
ticular point of the earth’s surface with tremen- 
dous force. Land birds were numerous—the 
Maryland yellow-throat, looking painfully out 
of place, the sharp-tailed finch and song spar- 
row, with red-winged blackbirds galore, but no 
water fowl except one sandpiper and a single 
green heron, that saw me the instant I saw him, 
and vanished into the bushes. Not a glimpse 
could I get of the little white heron, on whose 
accountaloneI had made the trip. Ihadintended 
to spend the night on the island, and continue 
the exploration on the following day ; but the 
effect of all my surroundings caused a desperate 
186 
