144 A NATURE WOOING. 



mond, to bask in the sun, and failed to get off in time 

 to avoid the locomotive. 



He also states that a friend of his who is a hunter 

 in the Everglades of South Florida, made $110 in 

 one day in 1897 by shooting egrets on their nests in 

 order to secure the skins and plumes for millinery 

 purposes. It was a wanton slaughter of innocent 

 birds to satisfy the vanity of woman. Two species 

 of egrets, or white herons, were, ten years ago, very 

 common during the migratory seasons in Indiana. 

 Now, but one or two are noted each season. The 

 murderous work done for hire by these southern pot- 

 hunters is alone responsible for their scarcity; yet 

 back of it all is the demand of fashion, the vanity of 

 the fairer sex of that higher animal man. 



April 4, 1899. This morning the sun is hidden 

 behind a veil of clouds, which occasionally yield up a 

 few drops of their component moisture. The temper- 

 ature is mild about 60. I make my way out past 

 Soudan, that portion of Ormond devoted to "Darkest 

 Africa/ 7 to the hammocks beyond. Just above the 

 darkey cabins I step upon a snake and involuntarily 

 jump back. It is a long, slender, black reptile, which, 

 after crawling slowly a few paces, stops and gazes up 

 at me. As I approach cautiously, it starts off more 

 rapidly and I bring one foot down upon its body; a 

 little too far back, however, to prevent its striking 

 savagely at my insect net which I thrust between it 

 and my knee. I soon get a firm hold on it just back 



