i6 



THE COLLECTORS' MONTHLY 



My Experience with the Birds 

 of South Florida. 



(For the Collectors Monthly.) 



Having taken the "bird's-egg craze, "(as it 

 is called by some) when a boy and living in 

 this, my native State (Tennessee), I was not 

 able with any ease at that age to prepare 

 and arrange in my cabinet what poor speci- 

 mens I could obtain, but having had more 

 experience, I determined to make it a study 

 instead of simply a robbery of the birds. 

 After taking the "craze" and partially 

 encouraged by the delightful experiences of 

 collectors, of which I read in the neat, little 

 periodica] published by Frank H. Lattin 

 called the "Young Oologist," I set about 

 real business in collecting eggs. So in the 

 early spring I was in the field one beautiful 

 day, and my first find was a handsome set 

 of two eggs of the Turkey Vulture and this 

 find greatly encouraged me as it would any 

 boy. The nest was situated in a hollow tree 

 very near the ground. The eggs were per- 

 fectly fresh and beautifully blotched wtth a 

 rich brown, I did not take the measurements 

 in those young days, so I never obtained 

 the exact measurements of any of my eggs 

 comprising my first collection. Well I will 

 procede with my subject. It was in the 

 year 1880 that I left this "garden spot of the 

 world", in company with my father who 

 was a consumptive, and went to the "Land 

 of Flowers and tiopical scenery." After 

 having gotten my father comfortably fixed, 

 I devoted all my time in spring to the birds. 

 And when not in that occupation, I was 

 gunning the Ducks (which are very plentiful 

 at certain seasons of the year) or chasing 

 the "Finny Beings" over a beautiful sheet 

 of water 2 miles wide by 3 1-2 long on 

 which our place was. We were situated 2 

 1-2 miles South of the city of Orlando in 

 the center of the orange- producing regions, 

 and a more delightful country was never 

 visited by mortal man. Well the spring 

 came at last and the birds were simply too 

 numerous to mention. My first take was 

 a set of 3 eggs of the Sparrow Hawk. The 



nest was situated in an old, dead pine tree 

 about 15 feet from the ground. The old 

 bird was on the nest when I reached the 

 hole with the aid of my climbers, and she 

 "put up" a good fight, and it was not until 

 I had had my hands skinned in several 

 places by trying to catch her, that I succeed- 

 ed in obtaining the set, which is by far the 

 most exquisite I have in my cabinet. I kept 

 the old bird in confinement for several days, 

 but at last she died possibly scared to death 

 by prowling cats, in which Florada is said 

 to abound, especially in Orange Co. I took 

 this set of eggs Feb. 23, 1881, I never had 

 the luck to find any other rare species for 

 several days or probably a week. Finally I 

 met with an old friend who proposed that 

 we go in search of "Crane's eggs," a.* he 

 called them, meaning many species of the 

 "Heron" family. So I jumped at the 

 chance, as I had not been able to locate 

 their breeding places with my scanty knowl- 

 edge of the surrounding country. So on the 

 morning of the 8th of March I881, we set out 

 with all tools and baskets necessary for col- 

 lecting a large quantity of eggs of the "Her- 

 ons." We arrived at the spot (about 5 miles 

 from any residence) where there was a large 

 swamp covered with a very heavy growth of 

 under-brush. The birds arose and flew from 

 us in all directions. In my excitement I 

 shot into the flock, which was not more than 

 20 feet over-head and accidently killed a 

 beautiful specimen of the "Snowy Egret" 

 which I have mounted to this day. Then 

 armed with rubber-hip boots, we proceded 

 into the marsh. The nests were placed very 

 thickly all over the surface of the marsh and 

 I never had as much sport (if that it might be 

 called) collecting eggs in my life. We took 

 46 sets of the "Little Blue Heron," 22 of the 

 "Great Blue," 16 of the "Snake Bird," 29 

 of the "Snowy Egret," and 6 sets of some 

 species of Duck, with which I was not fami- 

 liar at that time. But the eggs were 

 much smaller than those of the domes- 

 ticated duck and of a deeper blue color. It 

 was about 11 o'clock when we left the swamp 

 and as we were very hungry we made quick 

 time for home, feeling greatly rewarded for 

 our journey. I have not described the eggs, 

 as almost every collector is familiar with both 

 the habits and eggs of this species of water 

 fowl. I have now taken up to much time 

 wtih this, so I will close my experiences for 

 this time, hoping that some less experienced 

 collector may be benefitted by them. If I 

 can be of any help to any reader of this, I 

 am at his command. 



A. L. CHILDRESS, 

 P. O. Box 59. Decherd, Tenn. 



