The Audubon Societies 



193 



Pelicans were especially tame. Near 

 Archer, in Alachua county, two days 

 were spent in the saddle, visiting the lakes, 

 prairies and jionds where in boyhood the 

 writer had found Kgrets and other Herons 

 by thousands. The result of these rides 

 was most depressing. Over the many 

 miles of territory covered, the only Herons 

 seen were a Little Blue Heron and one 

 Black-crowned Night Heron. 



The utter disappearance of the many 

 Herons which do not produce the aigrette 

 of the trade was universally explained 

 locally by the statement that the birds 

 had been destroyed by Northern tourists, 

 who, ha\ing little to do during the period 

 of their several months' sojourn in the 

 state, wandered about shooting at 

 pleasure any strange bird which they 

 chanced to meet; the killing evidently 

 having been done for the mere joy of 

 holding in the hand for a few moments a 

 bird of striking and unusual appearance. 



At Orange Lake, however, something 

 of the old-time abundance of bird life was 

 encountered. Here, on Bird Island, pur- 

 chased last year by the Association with 

 the interest from the Mary Dutcher 

 Memorial Fund, exists one of the largest 

 and most interesting colonies of water- 

 birds found today in Eastern United 

 States. An extensive report regarding 

 this wonderful nesting-place accompanied 

 the last Annual Report of the Association. 

 Egrets, Snowy Egrets, Little Blue Herons, 

 Louisiana Herons, Black-crowned Night 

 Herons and Green Herons were all found 

 nesting here. Six specimens of the rare 

 Glossy Ibis were seen at one time. It is 

 conservative to say that fully four thous- 

 and pairs of White Ibises are now breed- 

 ing on Bird Island. Their nests seem to 

 cover almost every available limb of the 

 low trees and bushes which grow on the 

 island. Some of the nests, with their beau- 

 tifully spotted treasures, were within fifteen 

 inches of the ground; others were at an 

 elevation of fully eighteen feet. 



Warden O. E. Baynard guards the 

 colony, and, as he lives not more than 

 one mile away and is almost constantly 

 about the island or on the near-by shore, 



it would be a difficult matter to raid the 

 colony without his knowledge. About 

 four o'clock in the afternoon, long ranks 

 of White Ibises were seen coming across 

 the lake toward the island, from their 

 feeding-grounds on the prairies and lake 

 shores to the northwest. As the sun sank 

 lower, these flocks increased in number 

 until twilight, when an almost continuous 

 stream of white birds could be seen winging 

 homeward to the one spot in all that 

 part of Florida where their lives are safe 

 from the depredations of the gunner. — 

 T. G. P. 



New Members 

 March i to May i, 1912. 



Life Member: 



Mrs. George E. .\dams 



New Contributor: 

 Mr. Luther Kuntze 



Sustaining Members: 



Mr. Alexander McPhearson 



Mrs. Alexander McPhearson 



Mrs. E. S. Hamlin 



Mrs. L. C. Kimball 



Lewisohn Importing & TradingCo. 



Mrs. C. A. Kent 



Mrs. Charles H. Collins 



Mr. W. G. Henry 



Mr. Gilbert H. Groosvenor 



Mr. J. L. Judson 



Mr. Eversley Childs 



Mrs. C. S. Chase 



Mr. W. L. Chamberlain 



Miss Laura Vanderbilt 



Mrs. J. N. Camden 



Mrs. Frederick T. Mason 



Mrs. A. T. Cabot 



Mr. Herbert C. Merril" 



Miss Louie Andrews 



Mrs. C. H. Ditson 



Mrs. H. J. Lewis 



Evansville Audubon Society 



Miss Elizabeth F. Wells 



Mrs. Charles S. Fairchild 



Mrs. W. D. Russell 



Mr. James M. Motley 



Miss Ella Brown 



Miss Carrie G. Davis 



Mr. A. F. Holdcn 



Mr. Irwin Krohn 



Miss Elizabeth L. Smith 



Miss Harriet P. Abbe 



Mr. J. R. Van Brunt 



Mrs. T. M. Dillingham 



Mrs. A. R. McClymonds 



