THE GULF COAST OF FLORIDA 267 



similar conditions to the herons, but were fed on 

 raw meat, and throve well. While confined at first 

 in an ordinary mocking-bird's cage, to prevent 

 enemies from getting at them, as soon as they 

 had grown wings and were able to fly about, they 

 were allowed full liberty. For upward of a year 

 three of them remained in the vicinity of my 

 house, and might be seen perched on one of the 

 chimneys during a part of the day. At such 

 times, if any one approached them with a piece of 

 meat, and whistled, they would immediately fly 

 down, and take it from the hand ; and for a long 

 period, while they were young, that is, until they 

 were five months old, they all stayed about the 

 house ; when any one appeared, stranger or 

 friend, they were vociferous in their calls to be 

 fed. The sharp " peep, peep, peep, peep," of their 

 whistling was a sure indication in the house that 

 some one was coming. During our absence one 

 summer, these hawks disappeared, and I fancy 

 that this came about because there was no one to 

 feed them, and hence they naturally resorted en- 

 tirely to the methods of wild birds. 



Another incident of the year 1887 was the 

 discovery, in the vicinity of Tarpon Springs, on 

 the 17th of March, of a nest of the ivory-billed 

 woodpecker. I feel that the great pioneer of 

 American ornithology has so fully painted the 

 portrait of this noble woodpecker that I may 



