270 THE STORY OF A BIRD LOVER 



very young birds. The ivory-bill woodpecker was 

 formerly common in the South, but is now rare 

 and very shy. However, I once saw, during this 

 same winter, eleven at once working on some 

 dead cypress trees. Four were together on the 

 same tree. 



I now purpose to dwell at some length on a 

 protracted expedition made during the spring of 

 1890. On this occasion I sailed south along 

 the Gulf Coast, going over the ground formerly 

 traversed, and, extending the journey beyond 

 Punta Rassa, finally rounded Cape Sable, and 

 went far to the northeast of it. Thence crossing 

 to the Florida reef, I cruised among the Keys, 

 ultimately reaching Key West. At this point, 

 through the kindness of my friend the late Major 

 Charles E. Bendire, U.S.A., and the courtesy of 

 the Treasury Department, the Government Reve- 

 nue Cutter McLane was placed at my disposal. 

 Permission was granted me to visit the group of 

 islands known as the Dry Tortugas, and to re- 

 main there as long as might be essential to the 

 end I had in view. I shall not dwell at length 

 on the events of this expedition, which I have set 

 forth fully in several papers, the titles of which 

 are cited in the bibliography. 



Audubon has made the region in the vicinity 

 of the Florida reef historical in ornithology by 

 his explorations, and on this expedition much of 



