•502 Scott on Birds at the Dry Tortugas. [October 



Marine Hospital at Key West, and to Dr. Geddings, Surgeon 

 in charge Key West Quarantine Station, Garden Key, Dry Tor- 

 tugas, Florida, for their many kindnesses in facilitating the scien- 

 tific work I had undertaken. To Capt. Smyth who succeeded to 

 the command of the revenue cutter during the period of my 

 work, I am under special obligations for the many courtesies 

 shown me, and for very substantial aid rendered to the work I had 

 in view. 



The use of the revenue cutter saved much time in getting 

 from Key West to the Tortugas, and as my entire party and 

 collections were returned directly to the Anclote Keys by this 

 vessel, much time was devoted to observing and collecting that 

 would otherwise have been employed in sailing between these 

 points. So on March 19 I sent the 'sharpie,' on which I had 

 cruised from Tarpon Springs to Key West, back to the former 

 point and embarked with two assistants on board the cutter 

 which landed us at Garden Key, Dry Tortugas, the same after- 

 noon. 



The Dry Tortugas consist of a group of irregular, low, sand 

 and coral islands, six in number, which are some sixty miles 

 west of Key West, in north latitude 24 35' and west longitude 

 82 50', approximately. The only land between Key West 

 and the Tortugas is the group of keys known as the Marquesas, 

 and these keys are a little less than twenty miles west of Key 

 West. So the nearest land to the Tortugas is rather more 

 than forty miles away. The nearest mainland is Cape Ro- 

 mano, Florida, about 140 miles distant ; and the Island of Cuba 

 is, at its nearest point, about 90 miles distant. The coast 

 of Yucatan is some 350 miles southwest, and directly to the 

 westward in a straight line is the Mexican coast, about 750 miles 

 away. So that this small group of little islands is very much iso- 

 lated from any adjacent land, and all birds visiting it must pass 

 over considerable distances of open sea. 



The first island of the group to the eastward is known as East 

 Key. It is a low, sandy, coral island, covered in parts with stunted 

 bushes, and contains an area of perhaps eighteen acres. The two 

 keys succeeding it are known as Middle Key and Hospital Key. 

 They are both very small and are little more than sand banks 

 protruding from* the water, sparsely growing coarse grass and 

 some low, stunted bushes being the only relief from total barren- 



