408 Letter from Atiduhon. 



comfortably as circumstances would permit. At sun-rise the 

 next morning, I and four negro servants proceeded in search of 

 birds and adventures. The fact is, that I was anxious to kill 

 some 25 brown Pelicans, (Pelicanus fuscus) to enable me to make 

 a new drawing of an adult male bird, and to preserve the dresses 

 of the others. — I proceeded along a narrow shallow bay, where 

 the fish were truly abundant. Would you believe it, if I was 

 to say, that the fish nearly obstructed our head way ? — believe 

 it, or believe it not, so it was ; the water was filled with them, 

 large and small. — I shot some rare birds, and putting along the 

 shore, passed a point, when lo ! I came in sight of several hundred 

 pelicans perched on the branches of mangrove trees, seated in 

 comfortable harmony, as near each other as the strength of the 

 boughs would allow. I ordered to back water gently: the 

 hands backed water. I waded to the shore under cover of the 

 rushes along it, saw the pelicans fast asleep, examined their 

 countenances and deportment well and leisurely, and after all, 

 levelled, fired my piece, and dropped two of the finest specimens 

 I ever saw. I really believe I would have shot one hundred of 

 these reverend sirs, had not a mistake taken place in the reload- 

 ing of my gun. A mistake, however, did take place, and to my 

 utmost disappointment, I saw each pelican, old and young, leave 

 his perch and take to wing; soaring off, well pleased, I dare say, 

 at making so good an escape from so dangerous a foe. 



The birds were all gone, and soaring high in the pure atmo- 

 sphere ; but the fish were as abundant as ever. I ordered the net 

 to be thrown overboard ; and, in a few minutes, we caught as 

 many as we wanted — fine fish too, bass and row mullets. The 

 porpoises were as busy as ourselves, and devoured them at a 

 great rate. 



The tide now began to leave us ; and you must know, that 

 in this part of our country, the tide goes down not a-pace, but 

 in a hurry: so much so, indeed, that notwithstanding our rowing 

 before it, we were, on several occasions, obliged to leap into 

 the briny stream, and push the boat over oyster banks sharp as 

 razors. 



After shooting some more birds, and pulling our boat through 

 many a difficult channel, we reached the schooner again ; and as 

 the birds, generally speaking, appeared wild and few — (you 

 must be aware that I call birds few when I shoot less than one 



