118 



THE OOLOGIST 



age and nearly in size. A day is spent 

 in teaching the young brood how to 

 fly and to forage for themselves. 

 They are very industrious and learn 

 much sooner than do those whose 

 food requires skill to catch. 



Their food consists chiefly of thistle 

 seed from which the down has been 

 carefully plucked leaving only the 

 small brown part. They are also 

 fond of small winged insects and ber- 

 ries. 



As Miss Anna B. Thomas says in 

 one of her interesting poems on "Bird 

 Trades." 

 "The Goldfinch is a fuller; 



A skillful workman he! 

 Of wool and threads he makes a 

 nest 



That you would like to see." 



Correction. 



I noticed an error in the article in 

 the MAY OOLOGIST, under "Florida 

 Notes." It should have been Ward's 

 Heron; not White Heron. 



White Herons now a days, do well 

 to be in existence, much less laying 

 eight eggs to a nest. 



February 12, 1911, I saw a flock of 

 25 (Estimate) and another of six 

 White Herons just a little after sun- 

 rise, while out locating Fla. R. S. 

 Hawk nests. 



This was just four miles West of 

 Orlando, in Cypress swamp country. 

 D. J. Nicholson, Orlando, Fla. 



WOULD SAVE HERON'S ISLE. 



Conservation of one of the last rug- 

 ged and wild spots on Lake Minne- 

 tonka is being considered by residents 

 familiar with the history of the upper 

 lake. It is what is known now as 

 Wauwatosa island, the present home 

 of the herons, which have been his- 

 toric residents of the upper lake re- 

 gion, since before civilization, which 



started coincident with the founda- 

 tion of Excelsior. 



When Crane island, as the home of 

 the so-called crane, was bought by a 

 real estate company and cleared up 

 the herons deserted. They can't 

 stand civilization, the naturalists say. 

 They moved over to Wauwatosa, and 

 now that is being "fattened" for cut- 

 ting up into small tracts. The herons 

 will have to migrate then, because the 

 island is their last lake stand. Robert 

 O. Foster is one of the upper lake 

 people who has taken a step to save 

 the "cranes" to Minnetonka and at the 

 same time an untouched natural 

 beauty spot as reminder of long days 

 past when Minnetonka was visited for 

 its wilderness, and when every 

 steamer trip included a run around 

 Crane island to display the strange 

 birds who resented intrusion by force, 

 and yet were welcome denizens of the 

 lake region. Mr. Foster has offered 

 to be one of several to buy Wauwa- 

 tosa for preservation. 



The island has forty-four acres with 

 a big shore line, which the owners had 

 contemplated cutting it up to sell in 

 lots 300 feet deep at the rate of $1,000 

 or more an acre. Approached by 

 some of the interested cottagers the 

 owners of the property have showed 

 an interest in the plan and seemed 

 willing to concede a point and market 

 the island at acre prices instead of 

 by the front foot, which is high. 



Frank Mannen, W. Y. Chute and 

 Nickels & Smith united some time 

 ago in the purchase of the property 

 with the idea at that time of making 

 it a fashionable place of residence 

 equipped with fine long cabins in lieu 

 of houses and a launch service to the 

 mainland. The island is between En- 

 chanted isle and Zumbra Heights. 



The Editor has made several trips 

 to this isle, in years past. It is truly 



