364 



AUDUBON 



the distant reefs. As we were proceeding towards some 

 Keys seldom visited by men, the sun rose from the bosom 

 of the waters with a burst of glory that flashed on my soul 

 the idea of that power wh'ch called into existence so mag- 

 nificent an object. The moon, thin and pale, as if ashamed 

 to show her feeble light, concealed herself in the dim west. 

 The surfiace of the waters shone in its tremulous sn^ooth- 

 ness, and the deep blue of the clear heavens was pure as the 

 world that lies beyond them. The Heron heavily flew 

 towards the land, like a glutton retiring at daybreak, with 

 well lined paunch, from the house of some wealthy patron 

 of good cheer. The Night Heron and the Owl, fearful of 

 day, with hurried flight sought safety in the recesses of 

 the deepest swamps; while the Gulls and Terns, ever 

 cheerful, gambolled over the water, exulting in the pros- 

 pect of abundance. I also exulted in hope, my whole 

 frame seemed to expand ; and our sturdy crew showed by 

 their merry faces that nature had charms for them too. 

 How much of beauty and joy is lost to them who never 

 view the rising sun, and of whose waking existence, the 

 best half is nocturnal. 



Twenty miles our men had to row before we reached 

 " Sandy Island," and as on its level shores we all leaped, 

 we plainly saw the southernmost cape of the Foridas. The 

 flocks of birds that covered the shelly beaches, and those 

 hovering overhead, so astonished us that we could for a 

 while scarcely believe our eyes. The first volley procured 

 a supply of food sufficient for two days' consumption. 

 Such tales, you have already been told, are well enough 

 at a distance from the place to which they refer ; but you 

 will doubtless be still more surprised when I tell you that 

 our first fire among a crowd of the Great Godwits laid 

 prostrate sixty-five of these birds. Rose-colored Curlews 

 stalked gracefully beneath the mangroves. Purple Herons 

 rose at almost every step we took, and each cactus sup- 

 ported the nest of a White Ibis. The air was darkened by 



