AUDUBON AND BOONE. 147 
kind of shed with sticks and grass, the sailor couk commenced 
his labors, and ere long we supplied the deficiencies of our 
fatigued frames. The business of the day over, we secured 
ourselves from insects by means of musquito-nets, and were 
lulled to rest by the cacklings of the beautiful Purple Galli- 
nules ! 
When we had lain ourselves down in the sand to sleep, the 
waters almost bathed our feet; when we opened our eyes in the 
morning, they were at an immense distance. Our boat lay 
on her side, looking not unlike a whale reposing on a mud- 
bank. The birds in myriads were probing their exposed 
pasture-ground. There great flocks of Ibises fed apart from 
equally large collections of Godwits, and thousands of Herons 
gracefully paced along, ever and anon thrusting their javelin 
bills into the body of some unfortunate fish confined in a small 
pool of water. Of Fish-Crows I could not estimate the 
number, but from the havoc they made among the crabs, I 
conjecture that these animals must have been scarce by the 
time of next ebb. Frigate Pelicans chased the Jager, which 
himself had just robbed a poor Gull of its prize, and all the 
Gallinules ran with spread wings from the mud-banks to the 
thickets of the island, so timorous had they become when 
they perceived us. 
Surrounded as we were by so many objects that allured us, 
not one could we yet attain, so dangerous would it have been 
to venture on the mud; and our pilot having assured us that 
nothing could be lost by waiting, spoke of our eating, and on 
this hint told us that he would take us to a part of the island 
where “our breakfast would be abundant, although uncooked.” 
Off we went, some of the sailors carrying baskets, others 
large tin pans and wooden vessels, such as they use for eating 
their meals in. Entering a thicket of about an acre in extent, 
we found on every bush several nests of the Ibis, each con- 
taining three large and beautiful eggs, and all hands fell to 
gathering. The birds gave way to us, and ere long we had 
