214 lewis's AMERICAN SPORTSMAN. 



also. As far as we can recollect the particulars of this dejeuner 

 a la fourchette, — which, by-the-by, afforded us all much merriment 

 for a long time afterwards, — the company, pretty generally, when 

 partaking of the feast, in the goodness of their hearts, or rather in 

 the joy of their stomachs, were quite loud in their praises of the 

 far-famed ortolan ; and all pronounced its flavor much superior to 

 that of the poor unpretending reedy of America. But, before 

 leaving the cafS, we must acknowledge there were some long faces 

 and short purses in the "crowd," that seemed rather disposed to 

 disparage the well-merited compliments which were previously so 

 lavishly bestowed upon the French bird ; and several were even so 

 ungrateful, after stowing away a brood or two of them in their 

 stomachs, as to draw invidious comparisons between the two rivals 

 for gustatory repute. After mature reflection, however, the whole 

 party, one and all, declared in favor of the reed-bird of America, at 

 twenty sous the dozen, over the French bird at one dollar a piece. 



PROGRESS SOUTH. 



As soon as the frost makes its appearance in Pennsylvania, the 

 reed-birds as well as rails take their departure for the South, and 

 it is seldom that we find either of them with us longer than 

 October. After they leave our rivers they continue their course 

 south, visiting the ricefields of the Carolinas and Georgia, and 

 often commit great havoc in those regions. Although thousands 

 upon thousands of these birds have been destroyed in their route 

 from the North, still, thousands upon thousands of them yet exist, 

 and every gun is again brought into requisition in their new quar- 

 ters, to thin down their inexhaustible numbers ; but all to no pur- 

 pose, as they still continue their flight in immense bodies as the 

 winter advances, and ultimately arrive at the termination of their 

 long voyage in the West India Islands. In Jamaica they are 

 called butter-birds; and there, as in all other parts where they 

 make their appearance, they are highly esteemed for the delicacy 

 and richness of their flavor. 



V 



