BAHAMAN TRIP 



11 



from the ground. At the top the branches were thickly covered with 

 the golden blossoms. These are a great attraction to the birds, as we 

 have seen about it a number of the cocoanut birds, the Bahama fly- 

 catcher, and the Cape May warbler. The latter was seen sipping the 

 liquid in the flowers. Many insects and humming-birds are also flit- 

 ting about them. (It was here that we first saw the males of the bird 

 that proved to be an undescribed species of oriole later named after us 

 by Dr. Allen.) Shot off some of the flowers. 



April 19. Up at sunrise; walked out to the agave again to take a 

 photograph. A short distance beyond the agave the palmettoes grew 

 fewer and fewer until at length there was nothing but the scattered 

 mangroves and here and there a clump of the prickly "brier tree." 

 Farther yet nothing to be seen to the south and southwest but a level 

 plain dotted with small mangroves. To the north, a dark line of pines 

 was discernible. The rest of the day was spent in shooting and 

 skinning small birds. They were unusually numerous about the house. 

 For several days numbers of warblers arrived during the night, evi- 

 dently migratory birds on their way north. Having heard that fla- 

 mingoes, in native parlance ''filimingoes," were plentiful some miles 

 farther down the coast, we decided to make a trip there after spending 

 five days at Lewis Coppet. 



April 20. By 7.30 a.m. we were down at the boat. Got in the 

 small boat and were pushed out by the men halfway to the larger boat 

 that lay almost aground over a quarter of a mile from shore. About 

 12.30 we landed at a place called Cedar Coppet. The beach at high- 

 water mark was composed of the same fine chalky deposit as at Red 

 Bays, but it was whiter. The pines here come within a quarter of a 

 mile of the shore, only a mangrove flat lying between. We left Cedar 

 Coppet about two and sailed down the coast to what the men called 

 Loggerhead Creek, but which seems to be the Deep Creek of the maps. 

 It was about twenty-five miles south of Red Bays and was the first 

 creek of any size passed. It was a little over a quarter of a mile in 

 width at the mouth, but soon narrowed to about seventy-five yards. 

 Sailed in a short distance and anchored ; the tide falling, we were soon 

 aground. The shore was very soft, white above, blue gray beneath. 

 Back of the bordering mangroves was a bit of coppet on a slight eleva- 

 tion where we made a lean-to of palm leaves for the night. 



April 21. Went up the creek about a mile in the small boat, then 



