30 



Bird - Lore 



trees, in the hills winds through forests of royal palms with some under- 

 growth, and although the early tropical morning had passed, enough birds 

 were heard and seen to indicate a place of promise. 



In view of the character of the coast, with its shallows and mud-flats and 

 abundance of fish-life, there were surprisingly few birds off the coast at Bata- 

 baiio, and fewer still near the Isle of Pines. Indeed, the lack of water-birds 

 everywhere suggested some seasonal reason for their absence. Three Brown 

 Pelicans, three Man-o'-War Birds, about fifteen Laughing Gulls, and half a 

 dozen Cormorants constituted the entire list. 



THE ANI. ONE OF THE COMMONEST CUBAN BIRDS. THEIR LONG-DRAWN, 

 WHINING WHISTLE WAS ONE OF THE MOST CONSPICUOUS BIRD- NOTES 



Motors and excellent roads permitted me to see a large part of the northern 

 half of the Isle of Pines, but nowhere did I observe an apparently more favor- 

 able place for birds than the immediate surroundings of the home of William 

 L. Pack, at La Ceiba, near Santa Fe, where it was my good fortune to spend 

 three days. In the prevalence of birds and the general flatness of the land, the 

 Isle of Pines suggests parts of Florida. There are, however, small hills which, 

 singly or in short ranges, arise abruptly to a height of several hundred feet, 

 giving, in some cases, a suggestion of mountainous horizons. The exceptional 

 charm of Mr. Pack's home is due to the hilly surroundings and the richer, more 

 tropical growth, with numerous royal palms which flourish along the streams of 

 the narrow bottomlands. 



The house itself is set in a grove of grapefruit and orange trees, frequented 

 by numerous Prairie Warblers, with occasional Yellow-throated Warblers 



