ISSUED IN BEHALF OF THE SCIENCE WHICH IT ADVOCATES. 



Volume III, 



JULY, 1877. 



Number 5. 



A Collecting: Tour in Florida. 



^ARLY in the sprinff of 18 — , my 

 friend Thomas Stearns and myself 

 o*>p started on our long looked for and 

 long expected oological tour to the forests 

 of the '• Everglade State." After experi- 

 encing innumerable ditficulties, perplexities 

 and annoyances, we at last reached Fort 

 Dulaney, from which it was our intention 

 to proceed up the Caloosahachee River to 

 Lake Obichobee. Having secured the ex- 

 perienced services of two trustworthy, re- 

 liable and respectable negro boatmen, who 

 went by the euphonious appellations of 

 " Old Dan" and "Grizzly Bert," we start- 

 ed. Our boat was of the best construction, 

 our well-stocked supply of provisions was 

 superior, both in quality and (juantity, and 

 our expectations were aroused to the high- 

 est pitch of excitement. The morning was 

 all that heart could desire, when we ten- 

 dered our adieus to the kind and consider- 

 ate friend who had so generously extended 

 to us his unbounded hospitality during our 

 short sojourn at Fort D., and rowed slow- 

 ly up the river to the lively and inspiriting 

 songs of our dusky guides, who pulled care- 

 lessly along with the utmost tranquility and 

 " .mng froid." 



Although in this expedition we secured 

 many and valuable specimens of the small- 



er birds and eggs, from a want of space, 

 we shall confine ourselves to enumerating 

 only the larger and more interesting varie- 

 ties. Our first day was comparatively un- 

 eventful atid we encamped at evening on 

 the beautiful and verdant banks of the gent- 

 ly-flowing Caloosahachee and prepared for 

 a day's woi-k on the morrow. The first 

 beams of the morning sun aroused us from 

 our fragrant couches of fresh hemlock 

 boughs. A walk of about two hours under 

 the guidance of " C^rizzly Bert" brought 

 us to an almost impenetrable swamp, where 

 our wildest expectations were destined to 

 be realized. As the flapping of innumera- 

 ble wings awoke the solitude, and clouds of 

 Herons rose and darkened the air, Thom- 

 as, nearly wild with excitement, fairly 

 slirieked '' come on Muldoon," and with 

 shouts of exultation and expectancy we rush- 

 ed forward and all three of us were soon en- 

 gaged climbing trees in quick succession, 

 and descending each and every, time laden 

 with the pea-green beauties. The eggs 

 were those of the Snowy and Yellow-crown- 

 ed Herons, and we secured a great super- 

 fluity of the eggs of these two species. By 

 this time, the day being well nigh spent, 

 we returned to camp and rt-:.ted our weary 

 limbs preparatory to the morrow's advance. 

 All day long we toiled slowly up the river, 

 stopping from time to time as the nest of a 

 Snake Bird or Brown Pelican on the bank 



