  A parent insulator of the Bi-based high-$T_c$ superconductor
Bi$_2$Sr$_{2-x}$La$_x$CaCu$_2$O$_{8+\delta}$ was successfully grown by a
traveling solvent floating zone method. The in-plane resistivity $\rho_{ab}$
shows metallic behavior ($d\rho_{ab}/dT >$ 0) near room temperature, although
the magnitude of the resistivity is far above the Mott limit for metallic
conduction. The Hall mobility of the parent insulator does not so much differ
from that of an optimally doped sample. These results suggest that the system
is not a simple insulator with a well-defined gap, and the hole in the parent
insulator is essentially itinerant, as soon as it is doped.
