in the Peninsula of Florida. 201 



History/ vol. vii. There is no better authority on the subject 

 than Dr. Bryant. I give a few extracts from his letters to me : — 



" The most interesting things to be looked for in the bird 

 line in Florida are the eggs of the Scolopaceous Courlan, and a 

 small Burrowing Owl found in the interior near Indian River. 

 The former is abundant only, as far as my knowledge extends, on 

 the St. John's and tributary waters between Lake George and 

 Lake Monroe, particularly on Spring Garden Lake ; and next to 

 this at the Wekira, a small stream entering from the westward, 

 some thirty miles from Lake Monroe. * * * Down Indian River 

 you can procure plenty of Pelicans, white and brown; the Ardea 

 ludoviciana ; Egretta candidissima ; Herodics pealii, rufescens, 

 virescens, gardeni, violacea ; Ibis alba ; Platalea ajaja ; a good 

 many Ducks, if you do not arrive too late for them ; Tachypetes 

 aquila; Carbo floridanus, &c. ; also Cyanocitta floridana, a very 

 rare bird even in collections in this country. * * * There are 

 some birds, common enough, the eggs of which I never succeeded 

 in getting, such as the Ivory-billed Woodpecker, which would 

 be a most important acquisition to science, and a most orna- 

 mental and curious egg, never likely to be common, and growing 

 rarer every year as the bird does. * * * The great heronry is on 

 Indian River. Though the difference of latitude is small, there 

 is a great difference in the time that the same species of bird 

 deposits its eggs at Smyrna and at Indian River. The true tro- 

 pical fauna seems to commence at Cape Canaveral, south of 

 which they seldom or never have frost. The more tropical birds, 

 and the greater part of the Herons, breed by the middle of 

 March." 



I may as well mention that I could hear nothing of the Bur- 

 rowing Owl: no one with whom I spoke appeared to know the 

 bird. 



April 9. — I start early to return to Enterprise; I see no- 

 thing on the way except a few Sandhill Cranes, and some very 

 fine full-plumaged White-headed Eagles, with a number of Black 

 Vultures assembled round the carcase of a calf. The road passes 

 close to Lake Ashby. While resting the horses, I walk down 

 to the lake, and see several Alligators swimming like dogs a few 

 yai'ds from the shore. I had some idea of remaining for a week 



