132 



THE OSPREY. 



shrubs and low plants combine to form a thick, 

 almost impenetrable mass, and thns where 

 these occur in the pine woods we have the 'Bays' 

 of the country. Many of the shallower sinks 

 are entirely filled with cypresses, often large, 

 usually uniform in size. In many, the cypress 

 and gum trees have entirely disappeared, the 

 central mound has nearly filled the depression, 

 and the center is even higher than the sur- 

 rounding' prairie. Live oaks, bogs and cabbage 

 palmettos have taken possession, and thus we 

 have 'Hammocks' always circular and usually 

 disassociated from other groups of trees. Many 

 of these depressions never contain trees, merely 

 water, while others have the center entirely 

 filled with sawgrass and a few bushes. In some, 

 masses of grass may occupy various places. A 

 few may contain a single tall tree; a few bushy 

 trees will surround this, then saw palmettos 

 will form an impenetrable mass twenty to 

 forty feet wide entirely around, and a ring of 

 water thirty or more feet across with a border 

 of short grass, and then the saw palmetto of the 

 prairie surrounding the whole. No two are ex- 

 actly alike, but every stage of the evolution can 

 be found. They form ponds or islands in 

 the open landscape or in the pine woods, and 

 were solitary or numerous in a small area. 



Many of these larger sinks which remain wet 

 almost the entire year are really cypress swamps, 

 this species filling them to the exclusion of 

 other species whenever low wet areas exist, 

 especially along the shores of the lakes, but 

 they are unknown along the entire course of the 

 Kissimmee River, doubtless owing" to the great 

 difference between high and low water and its 

 rapidity. 



Considerable of the land lying back from the 

 river, but approaching it in various places, is 

 covered with a scattered growth of large pities. 



The numerous fires made by the people to 

 compel the growth of fresh green grass for 

 cattle have resulted not only in preventing' much 

 of the growth of young pines, but have also 

 killed out many of the larger and smallest so 

 that they are much scattered, and there is prac- 

 tically no shade beneath. 



The Kissimmee is a swift, but extremely tor- 

 tuous river, and frequently doubles on itself. 

 Thus in many places it is necessary to follow 

 the course of the river for ten miles to make a 

 progress of two. The letter S fails entirely to 

 give any idea of this exceedingly crooked 

 stream. The river is bordered on both sides 

 with a fringe of dwarf willows, many bushes 

 and main' herbage plants, which often form a 

 mass too difficult for a boat to penetrate, except 

 at very high water. Many open places of ir- 

 regular size and shape open into the river or 

 border the prairies and often form cutoffs for 

 boats. Rarely does the prairie ground form a 

 river-bank. 



Between the edge of the river water and the 

 dry prairies is an extensive area, usually only a 

 few hundred yards wide, of wet grassy land on 

 which Killdeer, Jacksuipe and other waders 

 were often abundant, and in the almost plant 

 filled borders of the river and in the open places, 

 Coots and Green-winged Teal were common 

 together with a fair sprinkling of Louisiana 



Herons, White Ibises, Florida Ducks and other 

 species. Back of this wet grassy area, the 

 prairie begins, at first a few outlying islands of 

 saw palmettos, then a dense grassy palmetto 

 area stretching in places as far as the eye can 

 see, and irregularly bordered by a sudden 

 growth of tall pines. Almost impassable 

 sloughs wind for miles into the pine lands. The 

 distribution of the birds over these areas is by 

 no means the same. Most of the birds remain 

 in the swamps of the river, but a few scatter 

 through the country, especially the Blackbirds 

 and small Herons. Meadow Larks, Flickers 

 and Mourning Doves are abundant about the 

 edges of the pines, and a few Bluebirds, Jays, 

 Shrikes and Hawks are easily found. 



Red Poll and Myrtle Warblers were abundant 

 about the open bushy ground together with nu- 

 merous Robins. An occasional covey of Quail 

 was flushed. In the Hammocks, occurred many 

 of the land birds I have mentioned with 

 Florida Wrens, the Southern Yellow-throat, the 

 so-called White-eyed Chewink (which has not a 

 white eye), the Florida Barred Owl, Red- 

 shouldered Hawks, Red-bellied Woodpeckers 

 and several species of warblers. The Bluebird 

 was confined entirely to open place in the pines, 

 especially near a pond. Taken altogether and 

 deducting from the list Ibises, Blackbirds, 

 Louisiana Herons, Robins, Red Poll Warblers, 

 Myrtle Warblers, Savanna Sparrows, Coots, 

 Blue-winged Teal, Jacksniprs. Meadow Larks, 

 Robins and Doves, all other birds were scarce 

 and one had to work hard to get a bag full. In 

 all 112 species were seen of which I saw 38 for 

 the first time alive. We left the town of Kis- 

 simmee on February 25, and returned on March 

 24. 



1. Pied-billed Grkbe. (Podilymbus podi- 

 ceps). 



Seen occasionally; one shot. 



2. Snake Bird. (Anhinga anhinga). 

 Rarely seen; single birds. Saw about twenty, 



but two of them on the water. 



3. Florida Cormorant. {Phalacrocorax dilo- 

 p/uts floridanus). 



Few seen on the lakes, rarer on the river. 



4. Florida Black Duck. [Anas fnlvigula). 

 Common on the Kissimmee and usually in 



pairs; shy and difficult to shoot. 



5. American Widgeon. (Mareca americana). 

 A few seen and one shot. 



6. Bi.ue-winged Teai.. [Querquedula dis- 

 cors). 



Abundant on the river, usually in flocks of 

 less than ten. On March 23, numerous, in large 

 flocks on the upper part of the river near the 

 lake. A male collected March 3, has a large 

 triangular white spot in the center of the under- 

 body. Usually found feeding in the shallow 

 open water along shore. 



7. White Ibis. (Guara alba). 



Abundant, often seen in large flocks while 

 flying- to and from their roosting' places. Occa- 

 sionally in the middle of a bright day large 

 flocks would circle upwards to a great height 

 until it was difficult to distinguish single birds. 

 Such flocks were composed of old birds; in only 

 one instance did I see a dark immature bird with 



