A Rhoads on the Florida Burro-.vhig Oivl. [January 



during oviposition, had been forced to dig her wav out in the op- 

 posite direction, and had then abandoned the site for a better one 

 on higher ground where the chinger from beast and flood could be 

 avoided. This was evidently the pair Jack had previously 

 robbed, so we see that Speotyto is nowise behind others of its 

 family in the persistencv with which it attaches itself to a given 

 locality. 



No other birds were seen in this place, but a mile farther on we 

 found three more in a precisely similar location. These also had 

 been robbed some days previously but had succeeded in making 

 a new home near the old one, from which we procured four 

 fresh eggs. In this case, as before, the male gave notice of our 

 approach, but instead of showing fear, boldly flew toward us 

 with a threatening chatter, while the female concealed herself 

 among the long grass near the nest. Nicodemus Slough, our 

 destination, was reached about six p.m. It is a low, swampy 

 'bonnet'-covered estuary reaching from the lower waters of Lake 

 Hicpoochee northward across the prairie. It is about eight miles 

 long, and at the place \vhere we crossed it half a mile wide. The 

 dry season had so reduced the flow of water from the surrounding 

 lowlands that we could not detect it on crossing, though a week 

 before the horses had here waded up to their bellies. 



At this spot, in a large live oak and palmetto hummock, we 

 spent the \veary night amid a memorable chorus of alligators, 

 frogs, Barred Owls and mosquitos. Our start next morning was 

 an early one. Having loaded everything on the wagon and har- 

 nessed the horses, I armed m3'self with gun and hatchet and made 

 my way through the swamp to the opposite side, where I was 

 directed by Jack to walk along and keep a sharp lookout, he at 

 the same time driving the team and hunting along the left bank. 

 In the course of half an hour we had struck — especially on my 

 side of the slough — a continuous colony, three miles long, of 

 breeding Owls. The retreating waters of the adjoining slough 

 had left a margin of flat, grass-grown sand, of varying width, 

 between the swamp and the saw palmettoes, and extending in- 

 definitely in the direction of the stream. This formed the breed- 

 ing ground of several hundred pairs of Owls, and here in the 

 course of three hours I made a thorough acquaintance with the 

 outdoor and indoor life of a very interesting bird. 



The actions of this species upon the near approach of an intru- 



