THE MUSEUM 



A Monthly Magazine Devoted to Research in Natural Science. 



Vol. W 



ALBION, N. Y., APRIL 15, 1898. 



No. 6 



Notes from Florida. 



Of all delightful experiences in the 

 way of winter pastimes the most pleas- 

 urable to me is that of cruising about 

 on the rivers of the South. It has been 

 my good "fortune to float down several 

 streams at the North, and it has ap- 

 peared that this method of collecting 

 is equal to any other, but a northern 

 trip among birds with which one is 

 familiar, fades into insignificance when 

 compared to a river trip in Florida. 

 Here one is continually meeting with 

 strange sights, while the special feat- 

 ure of intetest to a collector of birds 

 and eggs are constantly presenting 

 themselves. 



The Indian river, on which I spent 

 several weeks at different times and 

 trips, is visited by the Ducks of the 

 North which winter here. At times 

 one might say that the so-called river is 

 covered b)- one mighty flock of Ducks, 

 for so closely together do these flocks 

 come, that at a little distance it appears 

 as if there was one continuous flock as 

 far as the eye can see. The principal 

 kind of Ducks in the flocks is the Lesser 

 Scaup, in fact there are hundreds of 

 this species to any other kind of Duck 

 in the state, or at least it is so on the 

 salt water lagoons. In these large 

 flocks of I .esser Scaup, or Little Black- 

 heads or Blue-bill as they are more 

 generally called, there are some Big 

 Blue-bills or American Scaups. These 

 flocks of Blue-bills are so dense and ex- 

 tensive that I have seen a steamer on 

 the river constantly scaring up detach- 

 ments of flocks for miles. For miles 

 and miles in January and February the 

 river is covered with them and many 

 may be seen within gun-range at once. 

 Of the other Ducks here are Mallards, 

 Teal, Pintail, Widgeon, Shoveler and 



Black Ducks and the Buff-breasted 

 Goosander. 



The common "Hell-driver" and fam- 

 iliar Loon of the North are also seen 

 both in fresh and salt water. King- 

 fishers and spotted Santlpipers dash 

 out from log shore or snag as at the 

 North. Kildeer Plover remind us of 

 home while Hermit and brown Thrush, 

 Catbirds and Robins, the last in thous- 

 ands, are all here. 



Among the Herons are the Great 

 Blue, Little Blue, White, Snowy and 

 Louisiana. The change of color in the 

 plumage of some of these birds makes 

 it ditlicult to identify imniatures at 

 times. The Louisiana, Great and Little 

 Blue Herona breed abundantly, and 

 were nesting in vase heronies in isolat- 

 ed regions about the middle of March. 



As an indication of the advancement 

 of the season I would record that sev- 

 eral young Bald Eagles, nearly full 

 grown were taken from the nests in 

 February, while I saw two nearly full 

 grown young Pelicans swimming about 

 on March first. On March third two 

 Sandhill Crane's eggs were taken which 

 were about to hatch. The nest was 

 placed on the ground and was com- 

 posed of coarse weeds and very loosely 

 put together. 



There are great numbers of Gulls and 

 Terns here, but as I am from an inter- 

 ior section of the North these birds can- 

 not all be identified by me. The Amer- 

 ican Herring, King-billed and Bona- 

 partes' Gull and the Royal, Least, Black 

 and Common Terns were seen. 



Cormorants and Pelicans are to be 

 seen everywhere in the neighborhood 

 of salt water, while the Darter or Water 

 Turkey 1 Anhinga) is found both in the 

 lagoons as well as on the fresh water. 

 One collector could take a thousand 

 Brown Pelican's eggs in a very short 



