THE GREAT WHITE HERON. H3 



and ammunition placed in the boats, and after supping we talked and laughed 

 until the appointed time. 



"Eight Bells" made us bound on our feet, and off we pushed for the 

 islands. The moon shone bright in the clear sky; but as the breeze had 

 died away, we betook ourselves to our oars. The state of the tide was 

 against us, and we had to drag our boats several miles over the soapy 

 shallows; but at last we found ourselves in a deep channel beneath the 

 hanging mangroves of a large key, where we had observed the Herons 

 retiring to roost the previous evening. There we lay quietly until day- 

 break. But the mosquitoes and sandflies! Reader, if you have not been in 

 such a place, you cannot easily conceive the torments we endured for a 

 whole hour, when it was absolutely necessary for us to remain perfectly 

 motionless. At length day dawned, and the boats parted, to meet on the 

 other side of the key. Slowly and silently each advanced. A Heron 

 sprung from its perch almost directly over our heads. Three barrels were 

 discharged, — in vain; the bird flew on unscathed; the pilot and I had 

 probably been too anxious. As the bird sped away, it croaked loudly, and 

 the noise, together with the report of our guns, roused some hundreds of 

 these Herons, which flew from the mangroves, and in the grey light 

 appeared to sail over and around us like so many spectres. I almost 

 despaired of procuring any more. The tide was now rising, and when we 

 met with the other boat we were told, that if we had waited until we could 

 have shot at them while perched, we might have killed several; but that 

 now we must remain until full tide, for the birds had gone to their feeding 

 grounds. 



The boats parted again, and it was now arranged that whenever a Heron 

 was killed, another shot should be fired exactly one minute after, by which 

 each party would be made aware of the success of the other. Mr. Egan, 

 pointing to a nest on which stood two small young birds, desired to be 

 landed near it. I proceeded into a narrow bayou, where we remained quiet 

 for about half an hour, when a Heron flew over us and was shot. It was a 

 very fine old male. Before firing my signal shot, I heard a report from afar, 

 and a little after mine was discharged I heard another shot, so I felt assured 

 that two birds had been killed. When I reached the Captain's boat I found 

 that he had in fact obtained two; but Mr. Egan had waited two hours in 

 vain near the nest, for none of the old birds came up. We took him from 

 his hiding place, and brought the Herons along with us. It was now nearly 

 high water. About a mile from us, more than a hundred Herons stood on a 

 mud-bar up to their bellies. The pilot said that now was our best chance, 

 as the tide would soon force them to fly, when they would come to rest on 

 the trees. So we divided, each choosing his own place, and I went to the 



Vol. VI. 16 



