EOOKERIES ALONG FLORIDA 47 



quitoes ; of the swamp diamond-backed rattlesnakes — the 

 most deadly of all American reptiles — and of the lazy 

 cotton-mouth water moccasin, sunning himself on the 

 dead and fallen timber and lily pads (Fig. 5) ; of the 

 myriad birds with their babel of tongues — to me an un- 

 known language ; of the beautiful white-plumed American 

 Egret and the gracefully-formed Snowy Heron. I re- 

 membered the ideal May weather we were having at 

 Kansas City ; yet there was something indescribable say- 

 ing to me: ''Florida and its haunts of untrammelled 

 nature are calling to you. '^ And I was happy in the 

 thought that I had heard the summons and was obeying. 



On this trip I visited reservations on both the At- 

 lantic and the Gulf coasts and found them very much 

 alike, as far as their citizens are concerned. 



I succeeded in getting good comfortable quarters 

 within a few miles of the rookeries. As twilight drew 

 near, looking out across the vast expanse of water beyond 

 the Ijird islands with their fringe of low, mangrove- 

 covered shores, I was often reminded, by the disappear- 

 ing sun with its play of subdued multi-colored light, of a 

 vast art-glass memorial window, placed there by unseen 

 hands in commemoration of the departure of another day. 

 The long, solemn procession of home-coming birds with 

 their vesperal chantings completed a picture of enchant- 

 ing and inspiring beauty. What a glorious privilege to 

 behold nature's handiwork in all its splendor! 



If you have never visited a large shore bird-breeding 

 rookery and have never been enthused by the doings of 

 their busy residents, you have missed many a pleasurable 

 surprise. 



The dark-colored birds, the Louisiana Heron, the 

 Little Blue Heron, the Water Turkey and the Cormorant, 

 are inconspicuous while perched in the trees among the 

 foliage of the densely-studded mangrove islands, and cor- 

 rect estimate cannot be made, from a distance, of the 

 number of tenants occupying a given rookery. Then, as 

 you draw near, each leaf seems to take on life, as the 

 unseen birds, with mingled screams, make their hasty 

 exits from their resting places. 



The white birds, the Snowy Heron and the White 

 Ibis, can be seen from afar, for their color stands out in 

 marked contrast to the green leaves. 



