38 PKOCEEDINaS OP THH 



Sometimes a Great Blue Heron would rise before us and go 

 down stream with heavy plodding flight. Add to these a couple 

 of Night Herons, a Green Heron, and a few Spotted Sandpipers 

 and you have the list of water birds seen on the trip. The 

 three last named species were all seen on the lower stretches of 

 the river on or near tidewater. 



There were some bits of the river more marsh-like in character 

 than others ; by this I mean that there were openings in the 

 wooded swamps with an abundant growth of aquatic plant life, 

 reeds and rushes and slender green grasses waving in the water. 

 Such spots must furnish ideal feeding grounds for ducks in 

 winter. 



It was well toward the close of the day when we began to de- 

 tect unmistakable evidences of tidewater, and we knew that our 

 camp-site was not far distant. The banks of the river became 

 firmer and more defined ; pines now formed the background 

 against which rose the trunks of cypress and gum. The tide 

 seemed to be at half ebb; the line of high water could be seen 

 distinctly along the banks. 



Some members of our party had taken this trip before and 

 had given us a glowing account of the charms of a camp-site 

 previously selected in a grove of noble pines. At length we 

 reached the spot, but alas, the woodman's axe had felled the 

 grove, and so far as the pines were concerned, had wrought havoc 

 for a considerable distance on either hand. Still it was not a 

 bad camp-site. Many trees were still standing and the un- 

 touched forest was close at hand . Evening was upon us, so up 

 went the tent; the fire soon gleamed bright and warm in the 

 chill twilight and savory odors from frying pan and boiling pot 

 soon greeted the hungry party, who had put about thirty miles 

 behind their paddles since morning. 



With this spot as a base we now spent several days in explor- 

 ing the region about us, studying its birds and plants, and seek- 

 ing a closer acquaintance with its pickerel, perch and bass. 

 Our piscatorial efforts were not crowned with much success, 

 although enough pickerel were caught by our more expert 

 fishermen to vary the monotony of the larder. 



About a mile below our camp a smaller stream joined the 



