PorTLAND, OreGoN, Marcu, 1895. 
THE BROWN PELICANS NESTING ON 
BIRD KEY. 
Bird Key is a well known Bird Island, situ- 
-ated near the northern shore of Tampa Bay, 
. and just off point Pinellas. 
The island is covered with a thick growth of 
Mangrove trees and Buttonwood bushes. 
The Mangrove trees grow f-om fifteen to 
twenty feet tall, and are on the higher, yet 
marshy part of the island, while the Button- 
wood bushes occupy the swampy and wettest 
part of the island. 
The Buttonwood bushes are occupiel by 
Herons and Egrets of various kinds, and the 
Mangrove trees are occupied by brown Pelicans 
and Florida Comorants. 
It was May 28th 4:30 p. m., when, accom- 
panied by a friénd and two men to manage 
and sail the boat, set sail for Bird Key, with 
the object of gathering Pelican, Comorant and 
Gull’s eggs. 
We had a fair wind and at twelve o’clock 
that night landed within sight, (for the moon 
was full and it was as light as day) of the island. 
We went ashore and made ready to cmp a 
few days. Ina short time all was ready and 
we turned in, to sleep until morning. 
We were up, bright and early, and off for 
the rookery by seven o'clock. We sailed in a 
skiff, taking with us a common corn case, in 
which to bring back our spoils. 
As we neared the island the Pelicans and 
Comorants rose so thick as to seem to hide the 
sun from our view. We sailed up to a suitable 
place and landed, taking with us our corn case 
and cotton, a bucket and strings to safely let 
the eggs down from the trees. 
We had not gone more than twenty-five feet 
from the waters edge before our task of climb- 
ing the trees and filling our buckets and hats 
began, for some of the largest trees contained 
a dozen nests, while the smallest trees held 
two to four. 
These rests were built of weeds and_ sticks, 
lined with branches of Mangrove trees or But- 
tonwood bushes and nearly always lined with 
green leaves, so the eggs were rarely clean, be- 
ing blotched with blood and stained by the 
green leaves in the nest. 
The nests averaged two feet across, by six 
inches deep outside, and three inches deep in- 
side. 
I have stood erect, and sat down in them 
several times, and they did not give away in 
the least, 
After gathering over Ico fine eggs of this 
bird, which nearly filled our box, we concluded 
to return to camp as we had all we could 
properly prepare that day and as our camp 
was Close to the rookery we could get more 
when we wished. 
We now placed our box in a safe place in 
ihe boat and return to camp without any in- 
jury to our eggs. And were soon at work 
drilling and blowing, but as nearly all of the 
And out 
two sets 
eggs were fresh , we had no trouble. 
of the 100 or more I think we found 
of two eggs each and two or three sets of single 
eggs badly incubated. The single eggs were 
more advanced than the rest. 
