2IO Scott on the Bird Rookeries of Southern Florida. [July 



I refer to certain notes made by Mr. James Henry Devereux in 

 Tampa Bay and published by me in the 'Bulletin of the Nuttall 

 Ornithological Club,' Vol. VII, 1SS1, p. 20. 



While hunting to-day I heard repeatedly the song of a Vireo 

 that was new to me, but as the birds were shy and kept in the 

 densest mangrove swamps, I was unable to % procure one. 

 Thanks, however, to Mr. Atkins, then at Punta Rossa, but 

 now of Key West, I later identified the species as the Black- 

 whiskered Vireo ( Vireo alt iloqitus barbatulus) , as I have already 

 recorded (Auk, Vol. IV, April, 1SS7, pp. 133-134). 



During the afternoon there were countless Man-o'-war Birds 

 flying over in enormous flocks, and at great height. 



Tuesday, May 11. The Captain and Mr. Dickinson went to 

 Punta Rossa for water and letters, and I spent the day making 

 into skins the birds killed late yesterday. About 5.30 in the 

 evening I went to the rookery, but though I sent the boat back 

 to our camp, and though not a gun had been fired in the heronry 

 during the day, the birds were so alarmed by the little shooting 

 I had done the day before, that but very few birds save Brown 

 Pelicans came to roost at the rookery. I mention this to show 

 how very wary the birds had become, and how well they knew 

 the meaning of the report of a gun. I took only seven birds dur- 

 ing the time between half past five and dark. 



Wednesday, May \z. Wishing to visit again the rookery 

 before mentioned, the Captain and myself started in the small 

 boat early this morning, leaving Mr. Dickinson in charge of the 

 sloop and camp. We had only some seven miles to go, and 

 reached our destination about noon. On the way through the 

 islands there were many Reddish Egrets and other small Herons, 

 but all were very shy and had evidently been much hunted. 

 After getting some dinner and making a sort of camping place 

 for the night on one of the islands, we went, about the middle of 

 the afternoon, to the rookery. 



The condition of affairs here was much the same as I have 

 already described, except that not having been disturbed for a 

 few days, the birds were beginning to come back to the ground 

 in considerable numbers, and many Louisiana Herons were 

 building, and some had nests with one or two eggs. 



We found, in camp at the rookery, Mr. Frank Johnson, of 

 Mound Key, whose postoffice address is Punta Rossa, Florida, 



