ON THE BEACH AT DAYTONA. 61 
ing of utter solitude (the beach extends 
from Matanzas Inlet to Mosquito Inlet, 
thirty-five miles, more or less); while at 
other times they not only furnished shadow 
and a seat, but, with the paths and little 
clearings behind them, were an attraction 
to many birds. Here I found my first 
Florida jays. They sat on the chimney- 
tops and ridgepoles, and I was rejoiced to 
discover that these unique and interesting 
creatures, one of the special objects of my 
journey South, were not only common, but 
to an extraordinary degree approachable. 
Their extreme confidence in man is one of 
their oddest characteristics. J heard from 
more than one person how easily and “in 
almost no time” they could be tamed, if 
indeed they needed taming. A resident of 
Hawks Park told me that they used to come 
into his house and stand upon the corners 
of the dinner table waiting for their share 
of the meal. When he was hoeing in the 
garden, they would perch on his hat, and 
stay there by the hour, unless he drove them 
off. He never did anything to tame them 
except to treat them kindly. When a brood 
was old enough to leave the nest, the parents 
