60 THE LOOK 



hour and prepared to show the " Crackers" what a " Yankee" 

 could do in the way of hunting. Young collectors on their 

 first trip to a new country are a "little" inclined to be con- 

 ceited, and I was no exception to the rule. I first carefully ex- 

 tracted my bran-new breech-loader from its case and gave it a 

 thorough cleaning and rubbing down. I next fastened around 

 my waist my cartridge belt, with ammunition enough to kill 

 half the birds in Florida, and that same belt was exceedingly 

 heavy — fifty cartridges (brass ones, too,) with extremely heavy 

 loads. I must have had an idea that I was going out to hunt 

 elephants instead of small birds. Well, to make a long story 

 short, I started out upon the ocean trail (a trail leading from 

 the plantation where I was boarding to the ocean) in search of 

 game and specimens. 



After walking half way through the trail I was brought to a 

 stand by the sweet notes of a bird concealed somewhere in the 

 trees near at hand. Look as close as I would my eyes were not 

 keen enough to see it. Very soon I heard it, as it seemed, di- 

 rectly over me, and upon looking up into the branches of a tree 

 near at hand, I saw a sight that would make any naturalist 

 jump for joy, for sitting upon a branch and singing for "all he 

 was worth" was a handsome male specimen of the Cardinal or 

 Ked-bird ("Cardinalis cardinalis.") I quickly gave him a 

 charge of dust, and as he fell to the ground I picked him up. — 

 How beautiful he was with his rich crimson breast and black 

 throat. The Cardinals have a very heavy bill which enables 

 them to eat readily the berries of the palmettos. This bill is a 

 characteristic of the Grosbeak family. 



I continued on toward the beach and was softly whistling to 

 myself, and having my mind on anything but my business, 



