194 CARNEGIE INSTITUTION OF WASHINGTON. 



Bird Key is still waiting for its tern colony. The soot}' and noddy terns 

 have not yet arrived. During a walk about Loggerhead Key the following 

 were seen: pigeon hawks (0 at one time), graj^ kingbird, 2 marsh hawks, 

 a kingfisher, a herring gull (immature), a suinmer tanager (most brilliant I 

 have ever seen), yellow-palm warblers, and sharp-shinned hawk. 



On our way back to the fort we saw quite a number of royal terns seated on 

 the buoj^s and stakes; also a pair of boobies, while an osprey was flying about 

 over the fort. 



April 26. — The immature herring gull seen on Loggerhead j'esterday is on 

 Garden Key to-day. The stakes are well occupied with royal terns, and sooty 

 terns are flying about in rather large flocks, but they have not yet taken 

 possession of Bird Key. On a trip down the islanfl and around the lighthouse 

 the following were seen: yellow-palm warbler, gray kingbird, sharp- 

 shinned hawk, redstart, kingfisher, catbird, kingbird, and orchard oriole. 

 To these I added the marsh hawk at noon. 



April 27. — To-day the following were noted about Loggerhead Key: her- 

 ring gull (same individual), gray kingbird, kingbird, j^ellow-palm warbler, 

 marsh hawk, pigeon hawk, sharp-shinned hawk, brown pelican, osprey, red- 

 start, and a kingfisher. Birds are still very scarce, the most conspicuous 

 being the raptorine species. 



Crossing from Loggerhead to Garden Key, we saw royal and sooty terns. 

 There were quite a number of small flocks of the latter, but they have not yet 

 taken possession of Bird Key. We also saw an osprey and a pair of boobies, 

 probably, the same pair which occupied the same channel buoy yesterday. 



At the fort about 100 man-of-war birds were soaring over the northeast end 

 of the structure. The wall of the fort here evidently forces the stiff northeast 

 breeze upward and the birds were resting upon the upthrust of the current. 

 A pair of ospreys now and then joined them and also hung motionless for a 

 while, but their restless nature did not permit them to stay there persistently, 

 though they, too, seemed to like the experience, for they would return again 

 and again to float for a while in this place on motionless wings. 



April 28. — Visited Fort Jefferson at 6 a. m. and noted the following: man-o- 

 war birds, pelican, osprey, catbird, yellow-billed cuckoo, sharp-shinned hawk, 

 pigeon hawk, orchard oriole, Florida yellow-throat, yellow-palm warbler, 

 i)lack-crowned night heron, least tern, Cape May warbler, southern parula, 

 warbler, and royal tern. All the passerines were in the trees and on the ground 

 near the fort; so were the yellow-crowned night herons, osprey, and hawks. 

 The terns were flying about the outside. 



About 8 a. m. we headed for Bird Key, passing the usual royal tern on stakes 

 and buoys. The key had been claimed by a few sooties, which were on the 

 ground under the bushes. We saw no noddies. A yellow-palm warbler was 

 also seen on Bird Key. 



On Loggerhead we saw pigeon hawks, sharp-shinned hawks, kingbirds, a 

 yellow-palm warbler, and catbirds. 



About 3 p. m. I revisited Fort Jefferson and found the largest number of 

 birds I have seen since we left Tea-Table Key. The yellow-palm warblers 

 were very abundant. So were the parulas, the black-throated blue warblers, 

 and the Florida yellow-throats. I also saw yellow-palm warblers (male and 

 female), man-of-war birds, black-throated blue warbler, southern parula 

 (male), prairie warblers (male and female), pigeon hawks, Florida yellow- 

 throats (male and female), black-poll warbler (male), worm-eating warbler, 

 oven bird, redstarts (male and female), catbirds, black-crowned night 

 heron, Kentucky warbler (male), brown pelican, osprey, royal terns. The 

 man-of-war birds have been hanging over the northeast corner of the fort 

 all day, where the upthrust of the air gives them a resting place. 



