190 A COTTON PLANTATION. 



ivory-bill, but, like other Tallahasseans, he 

 thought I should have to go into Lafayette 

 County (all Florida people say La/ayette) 

 to find it. " That bird calling now is a bee- 

 bird," he said, referring to a kingbird ; " and 

 we have a bird that is called the French 

 mocking-bird ; he catches other birds." The 

 last remark was of interest for its bearing 

 upon a point about which I had felt some 

 curiosity, and, I may say, some skepticism, 

 as I had seen many loggerhead shrikes, but 

 had observed no indication that other birds 

 feared them or held any grudge against them. 

 As he rode off he called my attention to a 

 great blue heron just then flying over the 

 swamp. "They are very shy," he said. 

 Then, from further away, he shouted once 

 more to ask if I heard the mocking-bird 

 singing yonder, pointing with his whip in 

 the direction of the singer. 



For some time longer I hung about the 

 glade, vainly hoping that the grosbeak would 

 again favor my eyes. Then I crossed more 

 planted fields, climbing more barbed-wire 

 fences, and stopping on the way to enjoy the 

 sweetly quaint music of a little chorus of 

 white-crowned sparrows, and skirted once 



