138 FLORIDA BIRD-LIFE 



brother of the late Warden, and "Melch" Roberts, the 

 journey was continued toward Snake Bight, the " Pearl" 

 being run to the eastward, until she grounded in about two 

 and a half feet of water. Going aground is so normal an 

 accompaniment of a cruise in the Florida Keys that it gen- 

 erally occasions little comment and the skipper waits philo- 

 sophically for the rising tide to float his craft. On the 

 present occasion, higher water at midnight enabled the 

 * ' Pearl ' ' to get about a mile nearer the Bight. 



March 29, when the great glowing sun rose over the 

 Keys we were already well on our way, in small boats, 

 toward the Bight. In occasional vague channels, the water 

 was between two and three feet deep, but for the greater 

 part of the way it measured less than a foot and at times it 

 was necessary to push the boat over the mud barely covered 

 with water. A dense growth of brown, broad-bladed turtle 

 grass gave a fairly good hold for the oars in pushing, and 

 furnished support when wading. 



The air was clear, the heavens wreathed with exquisite 

 cloud forms, the waters, rippled by a gentle breeze, 

 sparkled in the long rays of the sun and the scene was 

 possessed of a great charm and beauty. Ospreys and Brown 

 Pelicans, each fishing after the manner of its kind, gave life 

 to the air ; the first, taking deliberate aim, with quick beat- 

 ing wings hovered above his prey before striking ; the latter, 

 making snap-shots, plunged down to the waters without so 

 much as a preparatory flutter. 



We were now in the very heart of the home of the Great 

 White Heron and at least fifty of these birds were in sight 

 at a single moment ; those toward the sun, so dark, they 

 could with difficulty be distinguished from Ward 's Heron ; 

 those to the west, gleaming like snow. 



Often the boat ran on redfish or drum, which darted 

 away with a swelling wave above them, or passed close to 

 the two keen fins of a great saw-fish or the single fin of a 

 shark. Porpoises were hunting in water scarce deep enough 



