476 



Bird- Lore 



fresh eggs; hut, in iqi,^, Mr. IMu-lps fouml 

 eggs on Manh 17. '["liis Kile lii<es 1 lie 

 liroad open spaces adjacent to the cypress 

 swamps, and in the breeding-season one 

 will hardly hnd them anywhere else. This 

 bird is decreasing in Florida. 



Everglade Kite 



As its name signilies, this Kite is a bird 

 of the everglade region of southern Florida, 

 and in northern Florida is a migrant only. 

 It is known to the Indians and to local 

 hunters as Snail Hawk, referring to its 

 habit of feeding on a species of fresh-water 

 snail. The Everglade Kite will sail over 

 the water like a Gull, suddenly dive down, 

 seize a snail, carry it to the nearest perch, 

 and extract the snail without breaking the 

 shell. I have found piles of these shells at 

 the base of some old post at the edge of 

 the water — in some instances as many 

 as would fill a bushel-basket. The Kites 

 arrive in southern Florida early in Feb- 

 ruary, and eggs have been found from 

 March i until May. Usually two, three, 

 or four pairs breed close together, that is, 

 within a radius of a mile. I have discovered 

 most of my nests in the saw-grass region 

 in small willow-bushes, and they are 

 somewhat hard to find. 



I once spent more than eight hours in 

 looking for a nest. I climbed a tree at the 

 edge of the saw-grass, and located the 

 bird at her nest in a small willow-bush in 

 the grass, probably a quarter of a mile 

 away. I noted the direction with my 

 compass and getting in my canoe started 

 by the compass to find the spot. The grass 

 was five feet or more higher than my head 

 as I sat in the canoe, and the water was too 

 deep to wade. It is a difficult feat to go in 

 any certain direction in this saw-grass, as 

 it closes up Immediately behind the canoe, 

 and one seems to be lost all the time. I 

 paddled as far as I thought was necessary, 

 then stood up and tried to look around, but 

 was hardly able to see fifteen feet from the 

 canoe. So I went back along my trail to 

 the tree and took new bearings, then into 

 the saw-grass again, with the same result. 

 I kept this up for eight long weary hours, 



and when I reull}' did lind the nest, it was 

 right over my head before I saw it. 



The finding of the beautiftil set of four 

 eggs pictured here was ample reward for 

 my strenuous efforts. I have heard of 

 other nests on the edge of lakes, where 

 they could be reached from a boat easily, 

 but I never found them so easy to get at. 

 The late date of this set was owing prob- 

 ably to its being the second laying, the 

 first having been broken up; and the bird 

 decided to go so far back that nothing 

 could find her. This species is undoubtedly 

 becoming very rare in Florida, and it is 

 only a question of a few years when the 

 Everglade Kite will be no more here. 

 This will not mean an extermination of the 

 species, as they nest in large colonies in 

 South America. 



Florida Turkey 



There is usually more luck than good 

 management in finding a Wild Turkey's 

 nest. One must have a good idea of the 

 Turkey-range, the kind of places the birds 

 like to nest in, and an unlimited amount 

 of patience; and even then, if he is not 

 lucky, he will fail. The Wild Turkey is 

 still fairly abundant in certain parts of 

 Florida, and if our new game-laws are 

 thoroughly enforced there is no reason 

 why the bird should not hold its own, 

 even with the great amount of hunting 

 that is done each year. The Turkey is 

 essentially a bird of the wild places, and 

 is without doubt the slyest of all wild 

 birds. I have seen them in close proximity 

 to farms in a fairly populated section, but 

 this is the exception. 



My records show that I have found 

 thirty Turkey's nests in the last ten years, 

 and they have been in all kinds of situa- 

 tions. The Turkeys in the northern and 

 central parts of Florida usually use a 

 thicket of greenbriers that has a thick 

 layer of dry leaves underneath it, in which 

 they will hollow out a slight depression in 

 the ground, line it with dry grass and 

 leaves, and sometimes add a few feathers. 

 When they are incubating, they depend 

 to a great extent on their protective color- 



