494 Wright and H \urr.u. The Birds of Okefinokee Swamp. | ( >!V. 



Gnokee. The lakes and runs are practically Bhoreless; they are simply 

 open Bpacea in the otherwise continuous cypress swamps. However, the 



logs and driftwood near the edges of bilh 's Lake serve as teetering stands; 

 half a dozen were seen here on May 1 1, one tin June .">, and still another a 

 few days later. Earlier in the spring one or two were reported from the 



canal. 



The species probably dees not breed in this latitude. (See Wayne, 

 Birds oi South Carolina. 1910, p. 55.) 



11. Colinus virginianus virginianus. Bob-white; 'Partridge.' — 

 Abundant in the pine barrens, both o<\ tin- islands and in the country 

 surrounding the swamp. A female taken on June 27 had in her crop 

 seven grasshoppers, two snails in shells, two beetles, several spiders, one 

 daddy longlegs, and numerous blueberries (Vaccinium). The oviduct of 



the same bird contained a fully formed egg. About the middle of May a 

 nest with oii-is was found by the natives on billy's Island. 'They asserl 

 that Sparrow Hawks and probably wild cats prey upon the ' Tart ridges.' 



l."). Meleagris gallopavosilvestris. Wild Turkey. — Rather scarce; 

 more common in the country wesi of the swamp. It was formerly common 



in the swamp itself, but about fifteen \ ears ago the decrease began to be 



perceptible, and the natives hold that it is due in pari to the depredations 



of wild eats. The last Turkey was killed on billy's Island about three 

 years ago. A gobbler was Hushed in The Pocket by a dog on .bine 26, and 

 another was heard in the same place a year pre\ iously. On July 'J we heard 

 a Turkey in the thick palmet (o cover on one of the Minne bake Islands. 



Hi. Zenaidura macroura carolinensis. Mourning: Dove; Turtle 



Dove.' Fairly common in the pineries about the edges o\' the swamp. It 



h -aid to occur sparingly on billy's Island in the summer. 



17. Cathartes aura septentrionalis. Ti km.\ Vulture; ' buz- 

 zard.' — Common throughout the swamp. The natives have never found 

 its nest. They told us. however, of several roosts, including one at Mud 

 Valley (south of Billy's Lake) and another in the dead tops of some cy- 

 presses in a small ' head ' on Floyd's Island Prairie. It is astonishing how 

 soon the Buzzards appear over a spot where an alligator has been shot, 

 ami how quickly they transform its carcass into a bare skeleton. 



IS. Catharista urubu. Black Vulture; ' Carrion (Cyarn) Crow.' 

 — Not uncommon, but the preceding species outnumbers it by two or 

 three to one. It is frequently seen associating on the wing with the Turkey 

 buzzard. The natives report that the two species also roost together, and 

 that when a quarrel takes place, the Carrion Crow is always the overlord. 



The alligator hunters recognize the services of both birds in disposing of 



the offal in the vicinity- of their houses and camps. 



19. Elanoides forficatus. Swallow-tailed Kite; 'Fish Hawk.' — 

 Fairly common. Whenever these graceful birds appeared, it was an event 



worthy of attention. We seldom saw them coursing lower than tin- tree 

 tops. Not infrequently they performed their easy gyrations as they passed 

 over our camp, which was in a clearing. ( hi i>\\r occasion a member of our 



