cM.n'oh'MA comxh: hi 



iTscrN'atiou 1)\' the riiitcd States ( loN-ci-iuncut mid these <in)tes(|ue Mrds 

 may now breed there iiiidisturhed. The view shows a 

 Grou" ^^^'''^'' section of the island at the hei^lit of the iiestiiijr season. 

 Notwithstanding tlie hundreds of young birds that an* 

 clamoring for footl, observation has shown that tlie parent bird can pick 

 out its own otYspring with unfaiHug accuracy. (Repnxhiced from 

 studies at Pelican Island, Florida.) 



This beautiful bird has been brought to the verge of extinction in 

 this country through the use of its ''aigrette plumes" 

 nowy eron ^^^ millinery purposes, and is now confined to a few pro- 

 Group tected rookeries of the South. The birds have these 

 plumes only during the nesting season, at which time the 

 death of the parent means the starvation of the young. (Reproduced 

 from studies in a rookery of South Carolina.) 



The turkey vulture, or buzzard, is one of the best known birds of the 

 South, where it performs a valuable service in acting as the 

 ur ey u ure gpa^y(^j^g(.j. Qf ^{^^ streets. On this account it is protected 

 by law and b}' public sentiment and has become both abun- 

 dant and tame. (Reproduced from studies at Plummer Island in the 

 Potomac River, near Washington.) 



The California condor is the largest and one of the rarest of North 

 American birds. It is not so heavy as the condor of the 

 a o"^^^ Andes, but has a slightly greater spread of wing, eight and 



one-half to eleven feet. In the group the visitor is sup- 

 posed to be standing in the interior of the cave where the bird has its 

 nest and is looking down on the river of the cafion which is more than 

 five thousand feet below\ (Reproduced from studies in Piru Cafion 

 California.) 



The foreground of the group shows a detail of the island that is 

 painted in the background. The young birds are feeding, 

 ran s ^^^ ^^ ^^^.^ 1^^ noticed that one fledgling is reaching well 



Qj.Q^ down the mother's throat after the predigested food. 



(Reproduced from studies at Monterey, California.) 

 Formerly this area was an arid place with a characteristic desert bird 

 fauna. Now^ the ranchmen have irrigated the land and 

 v^n r^^^° aquatic bird-life abounds. This group is a good illustra- 

 tion of the influence of man on the bird-life of a region. 

 In the breeding season the flamingoes congregate in great numbers in 

 their rookeries. There were estimated to be two thousand 

 amingo nests in this colony. The flamingoes construct their nests 



by scooping up mud with their bills and packing it down 

 by means of bills and feet. The nests are raised to a height of 



