48 



THE OOLOGIST. 



disappointed. It was April. The sun 

 had reached a point nearly overhead 

 and the heat was intense, certainly over 

 one hnndred degrees and the air was 

 suffocating with the effluvia of the 

 coai'se I'aiik vegetation. Before me 

 was a dense tiiicket of green briar or 

 chajiperal utterly impassable. I retrac- 

 ed mj' steps, fortunately^ without loos- 

 ing my bearings. To lose one's self in 

 these vast swamps and forests w<ndd be 

 a very serious matter. Cntting a light 

 pole I parted tiie dense mass of vegeta- 

 tion ahead of me and Ijefore I had ad- 

 A'anced a dozen rods I discovered an- 

 other ngly moccasin coiled and ready 

 to strike. I speedily despatched the 

 re])tile and just before reaching higher 

 and drj'er ground espied another, wlio, 

 contrary tf) their usual lial^it beat a 

 hasty retreat l)ef<)re 1 could shoot it. 

 These swamps duiing the spring, sum- 

 mer and early autumn must be a very 

 hotbed of these hideous venomous rep- 

 tiles, w^hich are more dreaded than even 

 the rattlesnake, for thej' give no w'arn- 

 ing when apjn-oached, and seldom re- 

 treat. They attain the length of five 

 and six feet and their largest diameter 

 is (^ften over four inches. Still not- 

 withstanding the hidden dangei's under 

 foot, the eye is entranced and bewilder- 

 ed at times with the profusion of flow- 

 ers one meets. Large areas of the 

 fragrant yellow jessamine and other 

 beautiful flowering vines and flowers 

 of different kinds are met with in all 

 directions, the beautiful four-leaved 

 ('herokwe rose, a pure white flower 

 nearly four indies in diameter being 

 very conspicuous. But it is here where 

 the deadly moccasin lurks, and here as 

 well as elsewhere the venomous crawl- 

 ing centipedes make their home in the 

 rotten tinibei-. Upon emerging from 

 this vast tract of danger and beauty, 

 most sutt'ocating heat, fragrant flowers 

 and noxious vegetable gases, I enter 

 upon a space of open country intersper- 

 sed with sluubberv and trees. Here 



the birds, tJie most beautiful forms of 

 all animal life, are more abundant. I 

 walk along the edge of the swamp. 

 Among the tree tops and liushes maii^" 

 species of migrating birds are seen, 

 which in the course of a few weeks 

 with the exception of those indig(Mious 

 to the Soutliern States, will wend their 

 way to the far north to lireed. Nearly 

 all of the migratory land birds 

 and many of the shore and water birds 

 Avinter here; many species, however, 

 passing still further south to the West 

 Indies, the Bahama Islands and prob- 

 ably a few extend their migrations int(t 

 South America. In the course of my 

 rather limited observations from Janu- 

 ary to the first week in A])ril, I have 

 met with nearly every land bird that is 

 found in New England, with the excep-< 

 tion, of course, of the few winter birds 

 that visit those states and return to the 

 far north at the approach of warm 

 weather. The Mockingbird {Minuis 

 X)olyglottns) is one of the most couspic- 

 ious among the birds here, is now in 

 full song, and is met with every few 

 rods. They are almost domesti(;ated, 

 unsuspicious and familiar to a degree 

 that is surprising and pleasing. They 

 repose the utmost confidence in man, 

 and well they may, for they are never 

 molested and make their rendezvous 

 and homes near the houses being sel- 

 dom met with in the unsettled districts. 

 Clahence W. Kowley, 



Ellis, Mass. 



Birds of Mackinac Island, Mich. 



As observed by Mr. T. Gilljert White 

 during the summer of 1889. The fig- 

 ures at the left of the rarer species in- 

 dicates the number of specimens seen. 

 B, breeds; M, migrant. 

 Am. Robin, Common. B. 

 Wilson's Thrush. Uncommon. B. 

 Hermit " Common. B. 



Olive-backed " " B. 



Bluebird " " B. 



Golden-crowned Kinglet, " 

 y Ruliv " " Rare. B. 



