LV. A Farewell 



I FEEL safe in announcing that the great blue 

 heron that spent the summer spearing for 

 frogs and tonging for clams in the Govern- 

 ment drain has finally gone south. By this 

 time he is probably toning up his digestion on a 

 ''^et of young alligators and electric eels while 



"Hid from view 

 By the tall, liana'd, unsunned boughs 

 O'erbrooding the dark bayou." 



For a time it looked as if he intended staying with 

 us all winter. The bird books say that the blue 

 herons leave for the south about the middle of Sep- 

 tember, and I was ready to bid him good-bye about 

 the time we were picking the apples, but he lingered 

 on through October. When November came and he 

 was still wading in the drain or flapping slowly 

 across the fields, with Sheppy trying frantically 

 to bite his trailing toes, I began to be afraid that 

 something ailed him. But he flew strong at all 

 times, and some other explanation must be found 



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