EPISODES 



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whistling wings, while, on the waters, floated GalHnules 

 and other interesting birds. We formed a kind of shed 

 with sticks and grass, the sailor cook commenced his 

 labors, and ere long we supplied the deficiencies of our 

 fati[,'ucd frames. The business of the day over, we se- 

 cured ourselves from insects by means of mosquito-nets, 

 and were lulled to rest by the cacklings of the beautiful 

 Purple Gallinules I 

 In the morning we rose from our sandy beds, and — 



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THE FLORIDA KEYS 



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I LEFT you abruptly, perhaps uncivilly, reader, at the 

 dawn of day, on Sandy Island, which lies just six miles 

 from the extreme point of South Florida. I did so be- 

 cause I was amazed at the appearance of things around 

 me, which in fact looked so different then from what they 

 seemed at night, that it took some minutes' reflection to 

 account for the change. When we laid ourselves down in 

 the sand to sleep, the waters almost bathed our feet; when 

 we opened our eyes in the morning, they were at an im- 

 mense distance. Our boat lay on her side, looking not 

 unlike a whale reposing on a mud bank. The birds in 

 myriads were probing their exposed pasture-ground. 

 There great flocks of Ibises fed apart from equally large 

 collections of Godwits, and thousands of Herons gracefully 

 paced along, ever and anon thrusting their javelin bills into 

 the body of some unfortunate fish confined in a small pool 

 of water. Of Fish-Crows, I could not estimate the number, 

 but from the havoc they made among the crabs, I con- 

 jecture that these animals must have been scarce by the 

 time of next ebb. Frigate Pelicans chased the Jager, 

 which himself had just robbed a poor Gull of its prize, 

 and all the Gallinules, ran with spread wings from the 



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