484 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Jan. 18, 18 



FLORIDA BIRD NOTES. 



EAGLES, HAWKS AND OWLS. 



THE winter and spring of 1885-6 was spent by the 

 wi-iter in the vicinity of Tallahassee, Florida, for the 

 purpose of collecting specimens of natural history. I 

 shall endeavor in these papers to give correct observations 

 of some of the principal birds found at and near tliis place. 

 Florida for many scores of years has been a paradise to the 

 ornithologist. The most beautiful species to be found on 

 the American continent to-day are found there, and some 

 that at one time -^vere comparatively abundant through- 

 out the South are found only in some of the impenetrable 

 swamps of this State. Where thousands existed twenty 

 years ago, you will only find scores now; more especially 

 is this true of the birds'of plume, such as the heron, egi'et 

 and others. Tallahassee is located midway between 

 Pensacola and Jacksonville, about twenty miles north of 

 the GruK of Mexico. This portion of the State is known 

 as the hill country of Florida, and it is justly entitled to 

 the name, for the siUTOunding country is very hilly, and 

 Tallahassee itself is built on hills. The coimtry is heavily 

 timbered with yellow pine, and in the lowlands and 

 marsh are found the cypress, bay, gum, magnoha, live 

 oak, water oak, palmetto, and many other kiads of trees. 



Among the hills surrounding Tallahasse are many 

 lakes noted for their beauty, where any who Kke to fish 

 with rod and line can find good fishing almost every day 

 in the year. "Wildfowl abound here, especially iri the 

 winter months. The i^rincipal ducks are the mallard, 

 pintail, wood duck, hooded merganser, blue and green 

 winged teal and ling-billed blackhead. Lake Jackson, 

 3yin^ north of town, is the largest lake, being twenty 

 miles in length and from one to f oiu- miles wide^ East of 

 Lake Jackson, and four miles from town, is Lake Hall, 

 or Crescent Lake, about two miles long and half a mile 

 wide. Lake Lafayette lies three mdes north of town. It 

 is three miles long and one mile wide, and is located on a 

 large tract of land, given to the distinguished foreigner 

 whose name it bears by the United States Government. 

 Lake Bradford, lying towc miles southwest of town, is a 

 beautiful sheet of water, about two miles in diameter. In 

 addition to these principal lakes are lumdi-eds of smaller 

 ones, varying in extent from a few rods to several miles. 

 Some are clear and deep, others shallow and grown up 

 with rushes and lUies, affording excellent feeding 

 grounds for the number of aquatic birds that visit them. 

 In the winter you will find the bii-ds that migrate north 

 regularly, but when spring opens and these winter visit- 

 ors have gone northward, their places are taken by other 

 species that have been wintering still further south. 



Among the birds of prey to be found here none are 

 more abundant than the white-headed or bald eagle, 

 which breeds abimdantly about the lakes and rivers. Any 

 person visiting any of these lakes can see these birds 

 daily perched on some tall dead tree or flying over the 

 sm'face of the water watching for fish, which is then- 

 principal food. Their nesting places are usually the tallest 



Sine trees that can be foimd. On the west side of Lake 

 ackson, half a mile from the shore, and about five miles 

 from town, is one of the loftiest pine trees in the State. 

 It is situated on the bank of a deep ravine and in its top 

 is a very large eagle's nest that has been occupied by a 

 pair of these birds "for many years. On March 13, 1885, a 

 gentleman from Cincinnati shot the male bkd; the nest 

 then contained young. I visited the place a week later 

 and found the female had secured another mate. On 

 Feb. 2, 1886, the nest again contained young. I shot the 

 female bird and could easily have kiUedthe other, but not 

 wanting the young to perish it was spai-ed. Four days 

 later, on visiting the eyrie the remaining bird was found 

 to have a mate. The bird I killed was an adult in mature 

 plimaage, and the new comer was a yoimg bird in the 

 gray plumage, probably two or tlu'ee" years old, I had 

 made up my mmd several times to attempt to cHmb to 

 the nest, and on this occasion I was provided with a pair 

 of steel climbing irons with long spurs. The tree, 5ft. 

 from the ground, measured over 13ft. in circumference 

 and it was fully 80ft. to the first limb, wliich was broken 

 off about 8ft. from the trunk. I was also furnished with 

 a heavy wire which I passed nearly around the 

 tree and formed a loop for hand holds; by throw- 

 ing the wire upward a few feet at a time I ascended 

 easily to the broken limb, but was obliged to stop 

 there as I could not get my wire above the lirnb from the 

 opposite side, and as the tree at this point leaned con- 

 siderable it was impracticable to pass around to that side. 

 After several attempts the task was given up. I had 

 climbed many trees in different parts of the countiy; 

 some very lofty ones, and never met my match until I 

 tried the mammoth yeUow pine on the shores of Lake 

 Jackson. I could have climbed to this nest by providing 

 myseK with some long, sharp steel hooks to use ui my 

 hands instead of the wire, but as the nest contained 

 young, and not the set of eggs I so wished, I gave this 

 pair of birds no further distiu-bance. Further up the lake 

 on the same side, is another nest that has been used for 

 many years. This pair has not been persecuted as much 

 as the one just spoken of, and they are therefore not so 

 wary. About one mile north of Lake HaU is an old nest, 

 not in use now, btit up to the winter of 1884-5 it had been 

 used for manv years. It was placed in a pine tree about 

 60ft, from the ground, and not over 150yds, from a dwell- 

 ing house. The man living there told me he had climbed 

 to the nest many times, and that he always found two 

 eggs or two young. In the spring, 1885, he went to shoot- 

 ing the old birds after the eggs were laid. He said he 

 never killed more than one at a time, and the other would 

 always get another mate in from three to five days. 

 During the rearing of the brood he said he killed five. 

 After this kind of treatment they went to the south shore 

 of the lake, and in an immense pine constructed another 

 nest. This pair especially seemed not to fear man, for 

 the new nest is not over 200yds, from a dwelling, 



I visited the nest March 20, 1886, and found the young 

 had already left the nest. Walking down to the shore of 

 the lake I saw one of the old ones, that frequently came 

 within 50yds., uttering loud screams. It was soon joined 

 by its mate, and both were very uneaCT on accotmt of my 

 presence. Looking ai-ound carefully I found both yotmg 

 sitting in a smaU grove of live-oak trees. They were 

 already very shy and almost as difficult to approach as 

 the old ones. These small inland lakes are a favorite 

 resort of these birds to breed; the waters of the lakes 

 abound in fish and they ai-e easily taken. Yery seldom 

 will you find more than one nest near a lake unless the 

 lake is large. They are very jealcnis of their feeding and 



breeding grounds, and drive away all intruders. Although 

 fish is their principal food, I have known them to capture 

 other bu-ds. 



Once while htmtingon the Wakulla River my attention 

 was attracted by an eagle in pursuit of a duck. ' The duck 

 was trying to escape its deadly enemy by swimming and 

 diving: but wherever it went, either on the surface or 

 beneath, it was closely followed imtil, coming once more 

 to the surface to breathe, it was seized and carried away 

 to the woods. Another time I observed several feeding 

 on the carcass of an ox, and a friend of mine shot one 

 while it was feeding on a dead sheei). 



Five miles from Tallahassee on the south shore of Lake 

 Lafayette, is another nest in a cypress tree. This is the 

 only nest seen that was not placed in a pine tree. On a 

 small island in Munson's Pond, eight miles southwest of 

 town, is another nest that has been used for many years. 

 On the west shore of Lake Bradford is still another. These 

 are all the nests that I noticed in the immediate vicinity 

 of town. About eight miles above St, ]VIai-k's, on the St, 

 Mark's River, are two -more nests in use, and a third in a 

 dead tree that is deserted. About two miles above St. 

 Mark's, on the Wakulla River, is another nest. Any one 

 passing do^vn the river from St. Mark's, will, if they look 

 to the east from a point two miles below the town, see a 

 nest in a large dead pine. It is situated at a point about 

 midway between the East River and the St. Mark's, 

 directly off old Port Leon. On Feb. 24, 1886, three friends 

 and myself visited the nest. There were two very large 

 birds in matm-e plumage aroimd it, but they kept well 

 out of range. I was very anxious to procure one of them 

 for my cabinet. After trying for about fom* hours to get 

 a shot I gave up the attempt, and strapping on my climb- 

 ing u-ons I started for a long climb of 100ft. I felt sm-e 

 that I would be rewarded by a set of eggs. On reaching 

 the nest I was somewhat disappointed to find a f till grown 

 eagle. On March 6, 1885, 1 had cut down a tree on the 

 Pin Hook River that had two yoimg in it that were not 

 more than a couple of days old, and as this had a fuU 

 grown young one a month earlier, it goes to prove that 

 they are not as regular in then- breeding's other bu-ds of 



})i ey. In fact I believe from what I saw and what I could 

 earn from others, that they lay almost any time from 

 December until March. The bird in the nest showed 

 fight, spread his wings to then- full extent and made a 

 hissing noise, similar to a goose. After backing to the 

 edge of the nest he sprang in the air, and soaring about 

 200yds. ahghted in the broom sage, where, being vmable 

 to rise, he was easily captured. He was taken into camp 

 and tied by his leg with a string to a tree. He ate 

 heartily of fresh pork, fish, and, in fact, everything in 

 the line of meat that was given him; he soon was the 

 acknowledged pet of the camp, and made friends with 

 everybody, but was the avowed enemy of the dogs. I 

 took him along to town and confined him in an old house 

 in the back yard, with a red-tailed hawk for company. 

 He grew very tame and woidd take food from the hand. 

 After six weeks' confinement he made his escape through 

 a broken window and was seen no more. The nest from 

 which he was taken was a lai"ge, bulky affair of coarse 

 sticks. The depth was about 3ft. and the diameter over 

 6ft. In the center was a sUght depression, lined with 

 smooth pieces of bai'k, coarse leaves and Spanish moss. 

 Several dead mullet and other sea fish were lying in the 

 nest. About a mile and a half north of this nest were 

 three others, two of which were in inaccessible parts of a 

 swamp. I have visited a great number of the small 

 streams and rivers emptying in the Gulf near St. Mark's 

 and find them breeding abundantly. The naturahst 

 or sportsman desires either the eggs, young or adult 

 bird of the white-headed eagle, I know of no place in om- 

 counti-y where he will find more fine specimens than in 

 the vicinity of Tallahassee or the adjacent Gulf coast, I 

 occasionally met with the gray eagle along the coast and 

 in Wakulla county, several mUes from the sea, in an eyrie 

 of these birds, I secured one specimen in the winter of 188.?. 



The most numerous bu'ds of prey in Florida are the black 

 vultures, which can be seen by dozens any day sitting on 

 the roofs of the houses, and more especially the Capitol 

 building. In this warm coimtry they are very usefiil as 

 scavengers, devoming greedily all refuse and a.nimal 

 matter about the streets. They are so numerous, and feed 

 so voraciously, that in a few hom-s I have known them to 

 devour an alligator 10ft. long, leaving only the bones and 

 tough hide. The vultures breed here and lay their eggs 

 on the ground imder some low bush or shi-ub. The turkey 

 buzzard, too, is very common, and its habits are much 

 like those of the black vultm-e, with which it associates. 

 Among the smaller bu-ds of prey I noticed the red-tailed 

 hawk, red-shouldered hawk. Cooper's hawk, marsh har- 

 rier, pigeon hawk, sharp-shinned hawk, yarrow hawk, 

 swaUow-taHed kite and Mississippi kite. The most com- 

 mon of the above is the sparrow hawk, especially in 

 winter. They are foimd about in old fields, along the 

 roadside and in the woods. They are easy to kill, and 

 semetimes would sit until you approach within a few 

 yards. The red-shouldered and red-tailed are both very 

 common, as weU as the Cooper's and sharp-shinned. The 

 marsh harrier was only observed twice. The swallow- 

 tailed kite is moderately common and breeds. They 

 begin to arrive in April, although a few remain all winter. 

 I often noticed them in the vicinity of the St. Mark's River, 

 In June, 1886, 1 found a nest of this species half a mile 

 north of town. It was placed on the horizontal limbs of 

 a pine ti-ee about 30ft. from the ground, and contained 

 two eggs. The Mississippi kite is very rare, and I only 

 noticed it three times. It breeds in the State, and one 

 nest with two young was seen in an oak tree. It was 

 probably an old crow's nest. It is known in Florida by 

 the name of "blue darter," and the sparrow hawk there 

 bears the name of "killy hawk." Screech owls are the 

 most abtmdant of the nocturnal Raptorefe. They are 

 seldom seen, as they usually hide in the long Spanish 

 moss during the day, which affords an excellent place of 

 concealment. They breed in hollow trees and deserted 

 woodpecker holes, and they lay their eggs in April. The 

 barred owl is also very common and the gTcat-horned 

 owl is frequently met ^vith. Both inhabit the heavy 

 timbered swamps. The bam owl is commoner in Florida 

 than is usually supposed, but like all other owls, it has its 

 places of concealment which are in the Spanish moss. 

 These places are discovered by looking for the balls 

 of refuse they eject through their mouthus. I know of 

 five individuals of this species being killed in the neigh- 

 borhood of Tallahassee; one by myself and four others 

 that were brought to me to be moimted. 



FOBBESION, HL HOEACE A, KLL>JB. 



HIBERNATING ANIMALS AND REPTILES. 



THERE is no phenomenon in natural history so well 

 known, and yet so little understood, as that of hiber- 

 nation in animals, fish and reptiles. Nearly every one 

 who fives in the country for any length of time is 

 acquainted with the peculiar habits of the snakes, wood- 

 chucks, raccoons and other hibernating animals in win- 

 ter, when they coil themselves up in their burrow or nest 

 and sleep the long winter through, showing neither life 

 nor energy until the warm weather of spring is come 

 again. 



Many farmer boys make it a practice to locate a wood- 

 chuck's nest in the summer time, and as soon as cold 

 weather sets in to dig down to it and cai-ry off the little 

 captive. When the nest is reached the little occupant of 

 it is fotmd, with its mate, rolled up like two frightened 

 caterpillars, with no more sign of life about them than if 

 they had been shot. The undergrotmd house is a simple 

 affair, and not a particle of food can be discovered in it, 

 showing plainly that the animal does not wake up in the 

 -winter time and go to eating, as many other pai-tly hiber- 

 nating animals do. The appearance of the animal is so 

 much like that of a dead one that it would be impossible 

 to tell whether or not the creature was really in a leth- 

 argic sleep or dead. Breathing is nearly, if not entirely, 

 suspended, and the temperature of the blood falls so low 

 that it is a deep mystery to scientists how life is main- 

 tained. 



But soon after taking the animal in a wai-m room the 

 question whether or not it is dead can be quickly deter- 

 mined. The stagnant blood is soon started in cu-culation, 

 and the breathing becomes more and more apjjarent, 

 imtil the creature opens its eyes, stretches its limbs, and 

 blinks wonderingly at its captors. A few minutes later it 

 regains its old powers of activity, and a desire to escape 

 into the open air again is dominant. 



Raccoons and squirrels are liibemating animals, but 

 from various reasons it is certain that they wake up dur- 

 ing the winter time and supply themselves with food. 

 Both of these animals collect large stores of food in the 

 summer months and hide them in their retreat, where 

 they remain safely until winter. Then they coil them- 

 selves up in then- nest and remain dormant for a long 

 while, varying from several weeks to a month. When 

 they get hungi-y they wake up and gorge themselves with 

 the food which they have collected. The raccoons are 

 not so far-sighted as' the squirrels in providing for their 

 winter needs, and qtiite frequently they are compelled to 

 leave their nests in the dead of winter and search aa-ound 

 for food. Squin-els, besides making an immense store 

 house of their nest in some tiimk of a tree, will make 

 several additional ones throughout the forest. Several 

 decayed tree trunks will be filled with nuts and berries, 

 and located so accurately by the little animal that it can 

 find them without any clifficulty when needed. Holes ia 

 the ground are also filled with articles of food and covered 

 up with du-t and leaves. Yet. even when several feet of 

 snow is on the ground, they will go straight to the store 

 house and dig it up without any difficulty. 



It is not an unfrequent discovery for those who live iu 

 the cotmtry thi'ough winter to find squirrels lying dead 

 on the snow. The cause of this is usually very simply 

 explained. If the snow is thickly covered with a hard 

 crust the sqtiirrel cannot break through it, and in its en- 

 deavors to get at its storehouse it either works or starves 

 itself to death. The httle creature feels that its only hope 

 rests in the food under the snow and it works diligently to 

 get at it. 



The bears and woodchucks are probably the most per- 

 fect hibernating animals that we have. They do not re- 

 quire food in the winter, unless awakened from their long 

 sleep by a sudden change in the weather. During the 

 sirmmer they have acquired a fatty secretion between the 

 skin and the flesh, which, it is generally supposed, assists 

 them to sustain life. If they are aroused from their sleep, 

 however, they come forth from their den with the sharp- 

 est appetite. The bears are especially to be avoided at 

 such times, if one has much regard for his own hfe. 



Probably the most curious creatures that sleep through 

 the long winter are the bats. At the beginning of cold 

 weather they begin to huddle together in regular bundles, 

 in deserted houses, in hollow trees, and in caves in the 

 rocks. The manner in wliich they do this is strange. One 

 of the largest bats hooks its wing on the roof of the old 

 building with his head downward. Another one hooks 

 itself to the first one in a similar position, and a thu-d does 

 the same with the second imtil a dozen or more are thus 

 suspended from the roof of the house. In this position 

 they gradually lose all sensibiUty, and continue in a 

 comatose state until the retm-n of wai-m weather. As 

 many as forty or fifty have been found thus l ink ed to- 

 gether, making a weight suspended by the hooks of the 

 first bat of over twelve pounds. The strength of the hooks 

 can be partly imagined when such a strain is placed upon 

 them. The* cold weather often freezes the outside bats 

 while hanging in this position, and not unfrequently their 

 wings have been so brittle when taken in their long sleep 

 that they covdd be broken into pieces like so many tender 

 twigs of a tree. 



Nature, however, has made perfect arrangements for 

 all of its creatures, and even the frozen bats are not so 

 badly off, if left alone and allowed to work out their own 

 cure. The frozen wings thaw out before a fire or by the 

 warm spring weather, and no harm results from the 

 freezing. This peculiarity is known to exist in the flesh 

 of a number of different animals. An eel can be placed 

 in a pail of water in winter and allowed to freeze up in 

 the ice, remaining so for an indefinite period, and then 

 taken out and placed in warm water, when it will regain 

 Hfe once more. The grave of ice apparently does not dis- 

 turb them, but merely suspends the operations of nature 

 for a time, to be resumed again when placed under favor- 

 able conditions. 



The phenomenon of hibernation has received careful 

 studv from scientists, but there is really more conjecture 

 than anything else regarding the matter. The cause of 

 the peculiar state into which the animal gradually sinks 

 is attributed to the want of proper food, the effects of the 

 cold, and the involimtary retardation of the respiration. 

 Even in the lower animals there must be a certain amount 

 of heat to maintain life. The bear and woodchuck grow 

 fat during the winter, and derive considerable warmth 

 from the fatty secretion all winter, while the lower 

 animals crowd together in bunches, and communicate a 

 certain amount of animal heat to each other. Snakes 

 collect together in large numbers and roU and twist about 



