200 Union Bay 



notes from the float while he looked over the three books. 

 I did not want to make any suggestions that might influence 

 his findings. He possessed the carefulness of an observer 

 trained on the farm and by years of hunting. He went 

 through the illustrations in each book with the same care 

 with which he would have made observations in the field. 

 When he finished he opened each book at the page he had 

 marked. The bird he pointed to was the Anthony green 

 heron, a western subspecies of the green lieron. 



I must confess that my failure to have seen the bird was a 

 tremendous disappointment. There could have been no 

 greater addition to my list of marsh visitors. The manager, 

 whose apartment overlooked the float, had never seen the 

 bird before. It might be that he would never see it again. 

 And I had missed it completely. I had not caught even a 

 distant glimpse of this stranger. I launched the canoe with 

 the feeling that luck was a bit against me, but I could not 

 remain depressed for long in such weather. One of my 

 friends would have called it a Holland day, for the sun and 

 the distant view were softened by the slightest suggestion of 

 mist, the roughened surface of the water flashed its move- 

 ments, and great cumulus clouds hung in the east. The 

 breeze was fresh enough to make paddling comfortable. I 

 cruised about the handsome blooms of the water lilies, en- 

 tered some inlets to hunt for green-winged teal, and moved 

 casually and comfortably w T herever my fancy took me. But 

 I had not forgotten the visitor; every rising bird attracted 

 my attention. I turned quickly to get a view of it, and if at 

 first I could not see it, I followed the sound of its wings until 

 identification was possible. But no green heron rose and 

 pursued its loose flight. Every cove I entered confirmed my 

 belief that it had gone. I knew that rare visitors were usu- 

 ally storm-driven and that their stop was often for a day 

 or only part of a day. This one had been here for three days 

 —what reason for it to remain any longer? 



