412 



Bird- Lore 



"Cruising down to Cape Sable, we 

 traversed Florida Bay to Key West, 

 chartered a larger craft, and crossed the 

 turbulent waters, seventy miles, to Bird 

 Key, Dry Tortugas. On this Govern- 

 ment reservation the colony of Sooty and 

 Noddy Terns, and of non-breeding Man- 

 o'-war Birds, has increased remarkably 

 since my visit in 1903, and the wonderful 

 sight of possibly 75,000 birds on eight 

 acres is now recorded on the spectacular 

 film there taken. 



"Leaving Florida, several days were 

 next spent at Avery Island, Louisiana, 

 where I was most kindly entertained by 

 Mr. E. A. Mcllhenny, whose astounding 

 colony, artificially built up, of 40,000 

 Snowy Egrets, Herons and other water- 

 l)irds, attracted to his overflowed garden, 

 might well be considered 'the eighth 

 wonder of the world.' Here one may 

 practice "photography de luxe" from Mr. 

 Mcllhenny's draped house-boat or float- 

 ing blind. 



"The record week of June was devoted 

 to the cruise over the Breton Island and 

 Audubon reservations with Ex-President 

 Roosevelt, whom I joined as the repre- 

 sentative of the National Association. 

 Colonel Roosevelt was shown various bird- 



colonies, among them one of Royal Terns 

 and Cabot's Terns, Skimmers, and Laugh- 

 ing Gulls, variously estimated at from 

 50,000 to 100,000 birds. I have never had 

 a more interested and charming compan- 

 ion, or known a truer friend of wild birds 

 than he. It was he who, at the request of 

 the Audubon Society, set apart the Breton 

 Island Reservation, and the films show the 

 'father' among his 'feathered children.' 



"After this, I was honored by becoming 

 the guest of the Conservation Commission 

 of Louisiana, and was taken on one of the 

 state's boats on a cruise west to Last 

 Island, Louisiana. Various breeding col- 

 onies were visited, notably an enormous 

 one of Brown Pelicans, containing also 

 many Laughing Gulls and Skimmers. As 

 late as June 21-23, the Pelicans had only 

 eggs, many of them fresh; while on the 

 east coast of Florida the Pelicans begin 

 laying in November, and by April many 

 of the young have flown. 



"Throughout the trip the temperature 

 was almost constantly in the nineties and 

 hundreds by day, and the eighties by 

 night; and it was probably owing to the 

 charm of the abundant life of the world 

 of birds that our health suffered no bad 

 effect." 



CORMORANTS IN CHARLOTTE HARBOR, FLORIDA 



