FRIENDS IN FEATHERS 



of flies, gnats, mosquitoes, and poisonous insects, masses of 

 poisonous vines, while at every step not only the ground, but the 

 bushes, had to be watched for rattlesnakes. The muck w r as so 

 spongy we sank ankle-deep, branches scratched or tore at us while 

 logs we thought were solid let us down knee-deep. 



An observer readily could have seen that the Deacon had his 

 cognomen by contraries. His face was crimson, his wet clothing 

 plastered to his shoulders. He smoked one cigar after another 

 to drive the clouds of insects from his head and neck. The por- 

 tion of my body covered by rubber was in a Turkish bath, while 

 the remainder was bitten until I was lumpy as a beaded pin- 

 cushion, but every breath was a prayer that the Deacon woidd 

 not lose his patience or give up. And he did not! Of course we 

 had to find it after a while, when we searched like that. 



I was glad that it was the Deacon who first sighted the loca- 

 tion. He would be more interested in it if he did. When we 

 reached the tree, a big black bird was brooding. We held a 

 council. I must have the baby while it was a tiny baby and the 

 blue egg if possible. A camera was set up and focussed on the 

 mouth of the log. The Deacon plunged into the swamp and 

 started back beside the trunk, tapping it gently to drive out the 

 bird. She was to be snapped as she emerged. 



The light was bad, but the experiment was worth a plate. 

 We did not dare risk frightening the bird by doing any clearing 

 while she was brooding. These matters must be handled deli- 

 cately and with common sense. To cut down a tree with her 

 watching us, in all probability meant to frighten her into creeping 

 to the farthermost recesses of the log, where she might refuse to 

 come out for hours. Then for the Deacon to enter to bring out 

 the baby while she was there would mean to give her a fright 

 from which she would never recover; one that might result in her 

 deserting the nest. She must be coaxed out, before any clearing 



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