not followed it far when I started a Yellow crowned
Night Heron and dropped it into the creek. A few
rods further on two started and one alighted
again when I killed it. 
  My creek finally led into a much larger one
a small river in fact nearly as wide as the 
Concord & very deep. Here I saw two Green Herons
and a very [?tame] [female] Anhinga which sat on a snag
with spread wings allowing me to approach within
20 yds & finally dropping like a stone into 
the water. 
  Rounding a bend a little further on I came
suddenly on a flock of eleven Egrets (A. egretta). 
They were sitting in green ash trees over the river
& I never saw as beatiful a picture of the
kind before. I was within eighty yds & looked
at them several minutes through my glass. 
They reminded me of the group of Herons in one
of [?Brem's] plates. One superb fellow had plumes
which extended an inch or two below his
feet as he stood erect on his long legs. Their
attitudes were marvellously easy and graceful. 
Finally they flew, one by one, going only a 
little way and realighting in the tops of 
some tall cypresses. Without any cover whatever
I approached them to within about 60 yds & 
picking out a bird at random (for I could
not make out their plumes at that height)
I shot it. It fell into the river and proved a 
fine bird but not the finest one of the flock.
Saw a few Prothonotaries & two Wood Ducks.
Back to the house boat early in P.M. having 
to put on my rubber coat & hat the shore [?]
a brisk [?]