ORNITHOLOGIST 



— AND- 



OOLOGIST. 



Sl.OO per 

 Annum. 



PUBLISHED BY FRANK B. WEBSTER. 



Estalilislied, March, 1875. 



Single Copy 

 10 cents. 



Vol. XVI. 



HYDE PARK, MASS., APRIL, 1891. 



No. 4. 



The American Anhinga. 



Although the Anhinga is closely related to 

 the Cormorants yet it really has no relations 

 in this country. There are two varieties of the 

 Diver found in tropical Africa and one in 

 Australia, but the Plotus an/thuja of the 

 Southern States is the only variety found in 

 North America. The Anhinga keeps well 

 away from the coast, sliunning all the salt 

 water marshes and inhabiting only the livers 

 and fresh water lakes and swamjis of the in- 

 terior. Although they are not an uncommon 

 bird in this section of country I had never 

 since the year 1886 taken any of their eggs 

 until during the past year (1890), when I was 

 again so fortunate as to find them breeding. 

 Well do I remember the day, how could I soon 

 forget it? Many was the time that in search 

 of this nest I had wandered tlirough thickets 

 and swamps, tearing my clothes and liands on 

 vines and tliorns and bespattering myself with 

 mud, to come out again with perhaps only the 

 trophies of a skin perforated witli mosquito 

 bites and a brace of wet feet. Vainly 1 had 

 visited rookery after rookery of the Herons in 

 tlie liope of finding Anhingas there. 



I had many times driven miles through tliese 

 barren pine forests of ours, to wliere tlu'y were 

 sui)posed to breed, only to find upon reacliing 

 tlie place that it was deserted. In fact, so poor 

 had my success been that I had almost de- 

 spaired of ever finding again tlie nest of tlie 

 American Diver. 



Any one then might easily li.ave imagined 

 my feelings that h,ad seen us on tliat beauti- 

 ful morning in the latter part of March as 

 we cautiously picked our way through tlie 

 buslies and palmetto scrub down to where our 

 boat lay grounded by a large live oak log. for 

 we were tliat day to find the Anhinga in bis 

 native haunts. 



Carefully stowing our lunch and guns in the 

 bow of the boat we puslied out upon the cool. 



fresh water of the lake. It was yet quite 

 early in the morning. In tlie east was just 

 visible the first faint stieaks of light, and far 

 in the west, showing above a long, low line 

 of cypress, was the moon just retiring for the 

 night. Pausing in our rowing and looking over 

 our shoulders we could barely distinguish on 

 a little eminence dimly outlined against the 

 sky a large live oak, under wliose wide-spread- 

 ing branches stood our horse and wagon, 

 sho^ving liy what means we had the evening 

 before covered the twenty miles that lay be- 

 tween us and home. Gradually tlie morning 

 dawned, and when we had got about a half 

 a mile from shore the sun, which for some time 

 had been struggling up through the tree tops, 

 now burst forth in all its glory. 



Before us lay a sheet of water two miles 

 long and perhaps half as wide. It was 

 lined on every side by a dense cypress swamp 

 which sti-etclied away to the south for miles. 

 The water was so clear that we could plainly 

 see fish swimming far beneath us. Scarce a 

 ripple was stiri-ed by the gentle breeze wliicli 

 fanned our faces, and we paused in our rowing 

 to take in the scene before us. High overliead 

 wild geese could be seen in straggling fiocks 

 commencing their long journey northward. 

 Tlie frogs and alligators wliich liad been 

 booming all niglit had now hushed, and scarce a 

 sound broke the almost breathless silence, 

 except the frantic plunge of some little fish in 

 his race for life as he flung himself from the 

 water to avoid the jaws of some large canni- 

 bal of his own tribe, and ever and anon the 

 muttled sound of heavy flapping was borne 

 across the water to us from a Buzzaril roost 

 half a mile to the south. 



I forgot as I sat there my many troubles, 

 and even begau to believe that tliis was not 

 such a cold, unfeeling world after all as it might 

 be. I felt nearer my Maker than ever before. 



As my thoughts grew higher my eyes were 

 naturally raised towards the heavens above; 



Copyright, 1891, by Fbask B. Webster. 



