THE TWIN ISLANDS. 171 



Bordentown, New Jersey, by Mr. John Krider. It is 

 known as a summer visitant to Greenland." Now, as Mr. 

 Krider shot a corn-crake on the shore of this creek, with- 

 in a few miles of Twin-island Bend, why should not oth- 

 ers ? It is far more probable that a dozen migrated from 

 Greenland, or came directly across the Atlantic, than 

 one ; and one old English gunner, familiar with the bird 

 for years, assured me he had heard them on our mead- 

 ows, but never had seen one. The truth is, a hundred 

 of them might be killed by our professional gunners, 

 and not one come to the notice of an ornithologist. 



Passing from the upper to the lower and larger isl- 

 and, I landed near its two small trees, that from their 

 branches, into which I climbed, I might survey to ad- 

 vantage the rank growth of sneeze-weed that covered 

 the entire area to the water's edge. 



There was absolutely nothing to be seen but a tremu- 

 lous mass of brightest, unstained yellow. It was much 

 like looking at the noonday sun through misty specta- 

 cles. Every blossom, like the buttercups, had " caught 

 the sun in its chalice," and bees of every variety thronged 

 the gilded forest. 



The busy myriads of tuneful honey-hunters, indeed, 

 added a charm to the novel scene, and their mingled 

 voices, pitched upon every conceivable key, was much 

 like the uncertain melody of an ^Eolian harp. 



While watching and listening, I was surprised to find 

 how remarkably free from molestation by birds were 

 these bees. They hovered over this shimmering sea of 

 golden bloom, always in plain sight, yet the birds, many 

 of them true flycatchers at that, kept quite aloof. I 



