344 GREAT WHITE HERON. 



places beyond Key West where I certainly should obtam several, were 

 we to spend a day and a night there for the purpose. Dr Benjamin 

 Strobkl afterwards gave me a similar assurance. In the course of a week 

 after reaching Key West, I in fact procured more than a dozen birds of 

 different ages, as well as nests and eggs, and their habits were carefully 

 examined by several of my party. 



At three o'clock one morning, you might have seen Mr Egan and 

 myself, about eight miles from our harbour, paddling as silently as possi- 

 ble over some narrow and tortuous inlets, formed by the tides through a 

 large flat and partially submersed key. There we expected to find many 

 White Herons ; but our labour was for a long time almost hopeless, for, 

 although other birds occurred, we had determined to shoot nothing but 

 the Great White Heron, and none of that species came near us. At length, 

 after six or seven hours of hard labour, a Heron flew right over our heads, 

 and to make sure of it, we both fired at once. The bird came down dead. 

 It proved to be a female, which had either been sitting on her eggs or 

 had lately hatched her young, her belly being bare, and her plumage 

 considerably worn. We now rested a while, and breakfasted on some bis- 

 cuit soaked in molasses and water, reposing under the shade of the man- 

 groves, where the mosquitoes had a good opportunity of breaking their 

 fast also. We went about from one key to another, saw a great number 

 of White Herons, and at length, towards night, reached the Marion, 

 rather exhausted, and having a solitary bird. Mr Egan and I had been 

 most of the time devising schemes for procuring others with less trouble, 

 a task which might easily have been accomplished a month before, when, 

 as he said, the birds were " sitting hard." He asked if I would return 

 that night at twelve o'clock to the last key which we had visited. I men- 

 tioned the proposal to our worthy Captain, who, ever willing to do all 

 in his power to oblige me, when the service did not require constant 

 attendance on board, said that if I would go, he would accompany us in 

 the gig. Our guns were soon cleaned, provisions and ammunition placed 

 in the boats, and after supping we talked and laughed until the appoint- 

 ed time. 



" Eight Bells" made us bound on our feet, and off" we pushed for the 

 islands. The moon shone bright in the clear sky ; but as the breeze had 

 died away, we betook ourselves to our oars. The state of the tide was 

 against us, and we had to drag our boats several miles over tlie soapy 

 shallows ; but at last we found ourselves in a deep channel beneath the 



