THE OOLOGIST. 



Buzzards are by no means bad look- 

 ing when you see them sailing in the 

 sky, but I am not desirous of a very 

 close acquaintance with them untilthey 

 change their diet. One day I left an 

 alligator that I had shot on the banks 

 of the Banana creek, as I wished to 

 get the teeth when they got loose enough 

 for me to get out. Going past there 

 a few days later, as many as forty Buz- 

 zards were around it enjoying them- 

 selves immensely, gorging themselves, 

 as they Avere. with his putrid flesh. 

 But who docs not want the Buzzard to 

 enjoy himself, when in doing so, he 

 docs all mankind a priceless favor? 



3. American Coot, {Fulica americn- 

 na.) Coots were everywhere and in 

 countless legions. So thick were they 

 that I do not donbt a story told me by 

 the person avIio shot them, to the effect 

 that he i)icked u)) seventy-six Coots 

 after tiring into a ilock of them, and 

 there was as many more dead ones 

 floating in thc^ water, which In; did not 

 pick up. 



All through the Banana creek, twenty 

 miles long and from one-half to one 

 mile in width, the water was literally 

 black with Coots, and they are so 

 tame that they only get away from a 

 boat when it gets very near. It is in- 

 teresting to watch the Coots, especially 

 when they are feeding, when they can- 

 not reacli the grass on the bottom of 

 the river without diving, they dive 

 down head flrst, but come up tail tirst 

 in a most comical manner. They make 

 sailing hard though, for they do not eat 

 all of the grass thej- pull up, and it floats 

 in the water, making fast sailing next 

 to impos.siljle. I was sailing across the 

 Banana river one day under reefed 

 sail with the water so rough that every 

 wave threatened to swamp us, and the 

 wind blowing almost a gale, when a 

 number of Coots were on the water, un- 

 able to rise on account of the waves, 

 which were so high that they could not 

 run along on the water but a j-ard or 



two without pitching into one, whii-h 

 they did not seem to relisli. Tln^y 

 would dive when about four feet from 

 the boat. 



The Coots in some places on the river 

 were very tame and in other places 

 quite wild. One night when we were 

 camping on the Banana creek, Ave 

 miles from the nearest house, a flock of 

 Coots numbering many thousands, came 

 in very close to the boat, seemingly out 

 of mere curiosity. They w^ere so close 

 together that thej' looked like one solid 

 mass, and as far as the eye could see 

 the Coots were so thick that yoii could 

 not Sije the Avater for them. Yai'ious 

 kinds of Ducks were flj'ing ovei-, so 

 thick as to darken the sky, and making 

 a whining, whistling roar, which lias 

 has to be heard to be appreciated . At 

 such a time a shot in anj' direction is 

 sure tf) make sad havoc, iiud if the ])ot 

 hunter could find a market here for his 

 game I should i)ity tiie poor liirds. 

 But as it is, comparatively few aie kil- 

 led, and they are nearly all eaten. 

 Wild aniiuals kill some, and Balil 

 Eagles frequently attack tliem. They 

 usually show fight, however, when at- 

 acked by Bald Eagles, and, ehising uj) 

 into solid ranks, give him a showei- 

 bath, much to his disgust. They say it 

 is dangerous to eat directly aft(;r bath- 

 ing, Which 1 suppose is the reason that 

 Mr. Baldhead doi^s not giv(; the Coots 

 further trouble. 



But in order to get a good idea of I lie 

 immense numbers of Coots found in 

 Florida in the Avinter, or to study their 

 habits, one must visit the Indian River. 



4. Bald Eagle (Haliacctus lencoceph- 

 alus.) On any clear day if you glance 

 upAvard, the chances are that ytni will 

 see one or more Bald Eagles, oi- "Bald- 

 heads." They are A'ery common but 

 very Avild and hard to slioot. Their 

 food consists of fishes, (Avhich they do 

 not always get by honest labor) an<l 

 birds; in their season mostly Ducks and 

 Coots, with some rabl)its and other 



