chick-a-dee’s story. 
169 
swallow she took, when the dear soul, making 
up a horrible face, declared the water was un- 
fit to drink ; it tasted horribly. Neither of us 
before that had ever heard of the ocean, and 
we could not account for its salt taste. For- 
tunately we found a spring that ran from a 
hillside near by and we took a long and grate- 
ful draught. 
We then went to rest in the grove, and 
remained there until the next morning. 
As soon as it was light, we resumed our 
journey, and a pleasant trip we had of it ; fol- 
lowing down the coast for a day or two, we 
arrived at length at a point that seemed a sort 
of end to the main land. Out in the water, 
we noticed a number of islands, and we con- 
cluded to explore them, which we did. We 
found that they were inhabited by a curious 
race of birds, different from any we are accus- 
tomed to see in the woods ; they were of a 
beautiful bluish gray on their backs, and of 
a pure white beneath their bodies ; their heads 
were black, and their bills and feet and legs 
were of a delicate reddish pink.’’ 
