I goo] Incursion into Florida. io 



o 



G ackle at all, so light is her colour, which resembles the tint of the 

 female Cowbird, but is lighter arid browner. The Florida Purple 

 Crackles are elegant birds, slightly smaller than our Bronzed 

 Crackle, but so tame and so common in some towns, and with 

 such a brilliant iridescence reflecting the rays of the bright sun, 

 that one is moved to think that there are f^w handsomer birds. 



It was at Tarpon Springs, too, that we met the little Cround 

 Dove — a true dove in manners, grace and habits, but just about 

 the size of the Shorelark. There we found them, with the Mourn- 

 ing Dove (also common), feeding with bunches of Crackles, 

 Mocking Birds and Towhees in the streets, and we all thought 

 them one of the most charming of our new acquaintances. When 

 they flew, the inner wing feathers displayed a bright brick red 

 colour, contrasting vividly with the greyish fawn of the rest of the 

 bird. It was truly ludicrous to see this little fellow, thinking 

 evidently that he was a real pigeon, walking along with the 

 stately and graceful dove-step, and nodding his head with each 

 footstep. 



Of all the birds I have seen, none stay on the wing so con- 

 tinuously and with such superlative ease as the Vulture. Regard- 

 less of wind, regardless of rain, regardless of sun, they could be 

 seen at all hours of the day from about 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., soaring 

 without a flap of the wing ; sometimes singly or in couples, some- 

 times in groups of twenty or thirty, and when such a company 

 appeared every onlooker was forced to admire their grace and 

 beauty— at a distance. Both kinds, the Black Vulture and the 

 Turkey Vulture were common at most points. They alight on the 

 shade trees, on the houses, and even in the back yards, showing 

 scarcely any fear of man, and they certainly do a most useful 

 work in this hot climate where jnany of the inhabitants are too 

 indolent to take the first step towards keeping their premises 

 clean. The peculiar position occupied by these most useful 

 scavengers, who are said to clean up all the back yards of Florida, 

 is well illustrated by the following occurrence. 



In Tarpon Springs I said to a little girl, " See, what bird is 

 that?" "Thataint a bird, that's a buzzard," came the reply. 

 Driving on the ocean beach in the Indian River district, I saw 



