THE GREAT CUTHBERT ROOKERY 



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CORMORANTS, IBISES, ANIJ A HERON. "FLUTTERING FROM THE LOW MANGROVES" 



the great open, grassy quagmires of the Everglades is only 

 a few miles from this spot. These marshes are the main re- 

 sort of this bird, which is often called " Snail Hawk," because 

 it is said to feed almost exclusively on an abounding species 

 of fresh- water snail, extracting the creature from its shell by 

 means of the hooked bill. There were plenty of these empty 

 snail-shells about, upon which, very probably, these kites 

 had been feeding. As they soared, — the whole six quite close 

 together and rather low over the island, — though the sun 

 had gone down, I secured some tolerable snap-shot silhouette 

 pictures of the interesting party. 



The only other feathered visitors to the rookery which 

 we noticed were a few straggling Wood Ibises and Ward's 

 Herons. But there were some gentry with leathery hides 

 which were too interesting to be neglected. The lake was 

 a great place for alligators, and we often saw them floating 

 on the shallow, muddy water, quite near the shores of the 



