112 THE GREAT WHITE HERON. 



conveyed to Indian Key, and placed along with its kinsfolk. On seeing it, 

 the latter immediately ran towards it with open bills, and greeted it with a 

 most friendly welcome, passing their heads over and under its own in the 

 most curious and indeed ludicrous manner. A bucketful of fish was thrown 

 to them, which they swallowed in a few minutes. After a few days, they 

 also ate pieces of pork-rhind, cheese, and other substances. 



While sailing along the numerous islands that occur between Indian Key 

 and Key West, I saw many birds of this species, some in pairs, some single, 

 and others in flocks; but on no occasion did I succeed in getting within shot 

 of one. Mr. Egan consoled me by saying that he knew some places beyond 

 Key West where I certainly should obtain several, were we to spend a day 

 and a night there for the purpose. Dr. Benjamin Strobel 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 possible 

 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 

 latety hatched her young, her belly being bare, and her plumage considerably 

 worn. We now rested awhile, and breakfasted on some biscuit soaked in 

 molasses and water, reposing under the shade of the mangroves, 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 mentioned 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 



