UNCLE SAM'S BIRDS 



401 



"two hands liigli" when wc started into 

 the rookery, ^^'e crossed a saw-f^rass 

 glade two hundred yards wide and then 

 entered tlie swamp. Progress was slow, 

 for the footing was uncertain and the 

 tall saw grass cut oiu' wrists and faces 

 upon the slightest provocation. 



There are many things unspeakably 

 stimulating a))out a journey in a tropical 

 swamp like this. You work your way 

 through thick, tangled growths of water 

 plants and hanging vines. You clamher 

 over huge fallen logs damp with rank 

 vegetation, and wade through a maze 

 of cypress "knees." Unwittingly, you 

 are sure to gather on your clothing a 

 colony of ravenous ticks from some 

 swaying branch. Red bugs bent on 

 mischief scramble on you by the score 

 and bury themselves in the skin, while 

 a cloud of mosquitoes waves behind you 

 like a veil. In the somber shadows, 

 through which you move, you have a 

 feeling that there are many unseen 

 things that crawl and glide and fly, and 

 a creepy feeling about the edges of your 

 scalp becomes a familiar sensation. 

 Once we came upon the trail of a bear 

 and found the going easier by wading 

 on hands and knees through the opening 

 its body had made. 



In the more open places the water was 

 completely covered with floating water 

 plants, w^hich Greene called "wild let- 

 tuce." These appeared to be uniform 

 in size, and presented an absolutely level 

 surface except in a few places, where 

 slight elevations indicated the presence 

 of inquisitive alligators, w4iose gray eyes 

 we knew were w^atching our movements 

 through the lettuce leaves. 



Although the swamp abounded in un- 

 pleasant conditions under foot, we had 

 but to raise our eyes to behold a w'orld 

 of beauty. The purple blossoms of air 

 plants, and the delicate petals of other 

 orchids greeted us on every hand. From 



the boughs overhead, long banners of 

 gray Spanish "moss" waved and beck- 

 oned in the breeze. Still higher, on the 

 gaunt branches of the giant cypresses 

 a hundred feet aliove, were the great 

 wood ibises standing on their nests, or 

 taking flight for their feeding grounds 

 a dozen miles to the southward. 



We were now fairly in the midst of an 

 inunense bird city, and some of the in- 

 hal)itants were ^•eritable giants in the 

 bird world. The body of a wood ibis is 

 about the size of a turkey hen. Its long 

 neck terminates in a most remarkable 

 aj^pendage, for the top of the head is 

 not only innocent of feathers but is also 

 destitute of skin — "flintheads" the 

 people call them. The bill is nearly 

 ten inches long, is slightly curved and 

 very massive. Woe to the unlucky fish 

 and alas for the luckless rat when once 

 the blow falls from the flinthead's heavy 

 beak! There were probal:)ly one hun- 

 dred thousand of these birds inhabiting 

 Corkscrew Rookery at the time of my 

 visit. Then, too, there were large colo- 

 nies of the smaller white ibis and several 

 varieties of herons. Once, eight of the 

 almost extinct roseate spoonbills wheeled 

 into view above the swamp, but quickly 

 passed from sight. 



The most interesting birds here, and 

 those concerning which the Audubon 

 Society is most solicitous, are the white 

 egrets. These snowy birds, of exquisite 

 beauty and queenly grace, have been 

 persecuted for their plumes in this coun- 

 try almost to the point of extermination, 

 and here is situated the largest assem- 

 blage of them left in Florida. 



" These ' long whites ' are never off my 

 mind a minute," said the warden, as we 

 paused to watch some fly over. "Two 

 men came to my camp last week who 

 thought I didn't know them, but I did. 

 They were old-time plume hunters. 

 They said they were hunting cattle, but 



