iSgi.] Brewster AND Chapman (?;/ Birds of tlic Sti~Manee River. 120 



Tliiout^hout the tlay two or three Water Turkeys were usually 

 in sight, always keeping a s;ile distance from us, either by short 

 flights, or, when the limit of their wanderings was apparently 

 reached, by soaring high in the air and returning to the vicinity 

 of their starting point. Wary Kinglishers darted out from the 

 shore and with rattling call flew on ahead, or, by wide detours, 

 made their escape up the river. Occasional Herons, — Ward's, 

 Green, and Little Blue, the last most common, — started from their 

 posts, winged their way low over the water and passed out of 

 sight around some protecting bend, only to repeat this as we ap- 

 proached them again. 



Flocks of fifty to one hundred Black Vultures and Turkey 

 Buzzards were sometimes seen perched in silence on the bare 

 limbs of a dead and leafless tree, or feasting on dead cows or hogs 

 which were stranded on snags near the river's banks. There is 

 little good feeling lost between these two species. They appar- 

 ently do not roost together, and quarrel continually when feeding, 

 the greater weight of Catharista generally turning the tide of 

 battle in its favor. 



The screaming of Red-shouldered Hawks was constantly in our 

 ears and the birds could be seen circling high over the forests. 

 Graceful, swift, and siu'e of flight, the few Swallow-tailed Kites 

 observed claimed our attention as long as they remained in sight. 

 On firm wing leisurely they passed over the tree-tops, making 

 sudden downward dashes at some unfortunate lizard sunning him- 

 self in fancied security below. But the birds which more than 

 any other species gave life and character to the river were the 

 Wood Ducks, and their sharp, whistling call gave frequent notice 

 of their presence as, surprised by our appearance, they sought 

 safety in rapid flight. They were common along the entire course 

 of the river to within two or three miles of its mouth as well as 

 throughout all the connecting creeks. On the creeks they were 

 as a rule found in pairs, but on the river it was not unusual to see 

 small flocks containing from three to ten individuals. A bird 

 killed March 14 had an egg in the oviduct ready for the shell, 

 from which we inferred that the nesting season was at hand. On 

 several occasions when they discovered us from a long distance 

 they swam ashore and ran ofl' into the woods. At nightfall these 

 Ducks left the river and roosted in the small ponds or cypress 

 sloughs of the forest, 



