FLORIDA: THE GULF COAST 155 



vultures, the turkey-buzzard and the black buzzard, 

 were always to be seen in numbers ; and among 

 the birds of prey, the bald eagle was an important 

 as well as imposing figure. Many eagles bred in 

 the region, and of the two nests in sight of our 

 house on the little island, one was close by. 



Most of us associate the breeding of birds 

 with the awakening of nature, with the coming of 

 the springtime, the green grass, the early flowers, 

 and the fresh foliage of the trees. We arrived in 

 this part of Florida late in October, and on the 

 loth of November I saw the eagles repairing their 

 nests, for they use the same ones if undisturbed 

 for generations. Late in the month the first eggs 

 were laid, and by Christmas there were young in 

 the nest. So that any preconceived notions as 

 to the breeding time of birds, such as I have indi- 

 cated, needs some modification. 



Even in the North, the facts warrant this gen- 

 eralization. Has any one associated the month 

 of February in Princeton or the vicinity of New 

 York with the breeding of birds ? And yet every 

 year the great-horned owls build their nests and 

 lay their eggs by the 2oth of February on Rocky 

 Hill, back of Princeton. The woodcock is not 

 far behind on the lowlands. I have tracked these 

 birds to their nesting place by the imprints of 

 their feet in the snow. 



One of the latest birds to breed about Prince- 



