Brewster on .Florida Birds. 39 



few times, would come together and their combined shrieks and 

 whooping were absolutely indescribable. Such a meeting occur- 

 ring in the middle of the night directly oyer the boat instantly 

 brought us to our feet. It was their mating season, but we could 

 not determine whether these outbursts were the love passages of 

 the sexes or the rival performances of two males. 



Everywhere by the marshy edges of the river arose a confused 

 medley of Hyla yoices. among which the tinkling note of the 

 bell-frog was especially prominent, and underruning all was the 

 low monotone of the crickets. These, with the occasional croak 

 of a Heron, were the most characteristic sounds. 



I was early astir next morning and rousing my friend we took 

 our station in the bow to watch the day break. A dense fog 

 hung over the narrow river, shrouding even the taller trees, and 

 the light struggling into the eastern sky just touched the upper 

 wreaths with delicate salmon while all below still lav in gloom. 

 Insensibly the tint deepened and worked downward : the heavens 

 grew more opaque ; the stars faded, twinkled feebly, then disap- 

 peared and every moment the daylight grew. Almost perfect 

 silence reigned. The Owls had ceased ; the frogs and crickets 

 were still : there was a solemn hush oyer everything ; nature 

 seemed to sleep on the eye of her awakening. The river eddied 

 swiftly by and so perfect was the stillness that the swash of the 

 water laving the foliage of a drooping branch on the further shore 

 came distinctly to the ear. 



But quickly all was changed. As we looked, the beams of the 

 rising sun touched the crests of the cypresses and, working down- 

 ward, the undergrowth felt the genial warmth and the whole 

 forest became flooded with sunshine. Then, as if the spell were 

 broken, the birds began and their various songs swelled into a 

 full, glad chorus. From far and near came the reveille of Wood- 

 peckers, apparently countless in numbers. A Vireo ( V. olivaceus} 

 sang cheerfully from a sweet-gum near the boat and dozens of 

 Warblers could be heard in the surrounding cypresses while a 

 Water Thrush warbled a few doubtful notes from the recesses of 

 the swamp. 



We had brought with us a small skiff and as the steamer was 

 not to start for an hour or more we decided to push on ahead, 

 and a few strokes carried us around the nearest bend. On either 

 bank rose the column-like trunks of giant cypresses whose branch- 



