EVERGLADE KITE. 285 



Young male. Similar to the adult female hut with the throat whiter and the stripe* on under surface lighter nnd a 

 littli' IT. iiider. Superciliary line, extending from base of bill to occiput, and spacemen sides of neck, aUo white. Cere, 

 dr., pair orange. Iris, ruhy-red in all sta: 



OBSERVATIONS. 



There appears to be but little variation in specimen^ of the same age and sex. Known from all other species which oc- 

 cur within our limit* by the long, curved bill and claws and by tin 1 colors as described. A skin of an adult female, from 

 tin 1 Smithsonian Collection (No, 53,081), taken in 1'ucnos Ay res, and kindly loaned by Prof. Haird, does not differ essen- 

 tially Irom Florida birds, excepting in Ix-in;;, prehaps, a little darker. Distributed, as a constant resident, throughout the 

 marshy sections of Middle and Southern Florida and in some portions of South America. 



DIMENSIONS. 



AYemge measurement* of nude specimens from Southern Florida. Length, 17'00; stretch, 44*75; wing, 13-75: tail, 6-85; 

 bill, 1-00; tar-us, 1*85. 1. imen, 18-00; greatest extent of wing, 45-00; longest wing, 14'00; tail, 7*00, hill, 1'04; 



tarsus '-''00. Shortest specimen, 10*00; smallest extent of wing, 44*25; shortest wing, 13*50; tail, 6'75; bill, '95; tarsus, 

 l-7r>. 



AM- M," measurements of female specimens from S mthern Florida. Longth, 17*05; stretch, 45*30; wing, 14*25; tail, 

 7*80; bill, *93; tarsus, 1*65. L, in^e-tt spvi-n-M, 17-10; greatest extent of wing, 45*93; longest wing, 14'50; tail, 7*50; bill, 

 TIKI; tarsus, 1'SO. Shortest specimen, 17'0ll; smallest extent of wing, 41*75; shortest wing, 14*50; tail, 7*50; bill, *95; tar- 

 sus I '-13. 



DESCRIPTION OF NESTS AND EGGS. 

 Nests, placed in bashes. They are nut very bulky structures and are composed of sticks, twigs, weeds, etc., lined with 



pMB. 



I, one or two in nu-nber, rather oval infirm, bluish-white in color, spotted and blotched irregularly with brown 

 and urubcr <( varying shades. Dimensions from l*40x 1*55 to l*55x 1*76. 



HABITS. 



The Everglades! Nearly every intelligent individual looks with interest on these 

 words, but to him who loves to study the works of Nature, they express volumes of untold 

 wonders; il)i- King has this section of Florida been an unknown land to the naturalist. Ow- 

 ing to (heir remote situation, but a few white men ever enter their limits; indeed, I will 

 venture to state that it would be difficult to find a hundred individuals who have stood 

 within their borders and few among this number would possess any great degree of intel- 

 ligence, while perhaps none would be students of Nature. I had long desired to see this 

 far- lamed spot and was, therefore, much pleased to find myself on the banks of the Miami 

 River and learn that this beautiful stream was one of the numerous thoroughfares used by 

 tin 1 Seminolcs in passing to and from their homes in Pi-i-o-kee, the Indian name for the 

 Everglades. 



.Not long after our arrival, four of us entered a small dingey with the intention of 

 visiting these cxtcnsiA'e marshes. This attempt, however, proved unsuccessful, for we 

 were unable to stem the bwift current with the boat so heavily laden. 



But a few days later, on the eigthteenth of February, accompanied only by a single 

 individual, I again made the attempt. We started early in the morning and rowed up 

 the winding river, the margins of which were bordered for some distance with mangroves. 

 Leaving these, we came into a more open country and caught sight of the pine barrens. 

 Still we pushed onward, passed the only houses, or rather shanties, that disgrace the bank, 

 and entered the unbroken wilderness beyond. The river's edges were now overhung by a 

 dense growth of flowering shrubs from which rose an occasional palmetto that hung its 



