Bird Life of the Indian River Country of Delaware 



BY CHARLES J. PENNOCK 



The Indian River region of Delaware forms a considerable 

 area in the southeastern part of the State. It includes the 

 basin of the Indian River, Rehoboth Baj', and Indian River 

 Bay, the last two being respectively the north and south arms 

 of a single body of water with a common opening to the sea, 

 known as Indian River Inlet. The area as a whole comprises 

 about twenty-five miles of the Atlantic seaboard. The country 

 bordering the bays is settled farm land with large bodies of 

 timber interspersed, consisting of pine, sweet gum, several 

 species of oak, swamp magnolia and laurel, while a few 

 cypress trees are still to be seen on the upper waters of the In- 

 dian river. 



I. MiLLSBORO 



My first visit to this countrj' was in company with Mr. S. N. 

 Rhoads late in October, 1903, and our headquarters were at 

 Millsboro, a hamlet of about five hundred inhabitants situated 

 on the Indian River about eight miles from the bay. There is 

 a dam here which supplies power to a flour and feed mill on 

 the opposite side of the stream from the village. The river 

 proper really begins below the dam, and for the first half-mile 

 is barely wide enough to allow of the passage of a small steam 

 launch used for towing lumber barges from the sawmills along 

 the shores. It is quite winding as it nears the bay, and on one 

 side or the other is usually lined by extensive marshes, while 

 there are frequent tracts of timber. An occasional fisherman 

 has his primitive-looking home near the bank, with his nets 

 hanging about. Our time was very limited on this occasion, 

 and we saw but few birds. 



On December 5-6, 1904, I was again at Millsboro. Tlie 



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