^°'' ^'^n DuTCHER, Report of Committee on Bird Protection. I2C| 



word or gesture, or by the use of any weapon, trap or missile, or device 

 whatever, is in violation of the law of the land, except at certain times 

 and under certain circumstances strictly defined by law. 



(Signed) Georgk A. Bicknell, 



Captain U. S. N., Comma?idant. 



Thereupon Mr. VV. R. Burton was appointed special warden and 

 was directed to proceed to and remain on Bird Key. 



The following letter of instructions was given the warden : 



This is to certify that the bearer, Mr. W. R. Burton, is the duly author- 

 ized representative of the American Ornithologists' Union. 



He is appointed by the said Society for the purpose of protecting the 

 birds that breed on the several keys in the Dry Tortugas. 



The said warden, has the permission of the Hon. Secretary of the 

 Navy, to camp upon any of the ke^'s or islands of the Dry Tortugas 

 for the purpose above stated. 



The said warden is directed to report to the Commandant of the Naval 

 Station at Key West for transportation to the Tortugas and on his arrival 

 at the Tortugas is to report to Lieut. R. B. Sullivan, U. S. M. C, Com- 

 manding the Marine Barracks, Dry Tortugas, Florida. 



The said warden, Mr. Burton, is instructed to enforce the law of the 

 State of Florida, which makes it a misdemeanor to take the eggs of any 

 breeding bird, or to disturb them in any manner, or to kill them at any 

 time. 



The said warden will report his arrival at the Tortugas to the under- 

 signed by letter, and will follow such further instructions as he may 

 receive from time to time. 



By order of the American Ornithologists' Union. 



(Signed) William Dutcher, 



Chairman of the Protection Committee. 



Mr. Burton made the following interesting report at the close of 

 the season, July 15, when he left the Tortugas: 



Dry Tortugas, Julv it;, 1903. 



Mm 



I arrived at Bird Key on J^iue 19, in company' with Mr. Herbert K. 

 Job; I found that the birds had been laying some time, and that some 

 eggs had been taken ; there were probably 200 eggs on the ground when 

 we arrived ; the birds continued to lay until as late as June 15, in consider- 

 able numbers. It was impossible to count the eggs on account of the 

 manner in which the Sooties lay ; they deposit their eggs on the ground 

 without any attempt to build a nest, and a great many lay on the open 

 beach without any cover of any kind, but the majority deposit their eggs 



