EVERGLADE KITE. 
289 
to discern his face, we saw that he had something to tell. He pushed up and we exchanged 
the usual salutations. After this, I showed him our precious nest and egg and explained 
where we had found them; then asked if he could procure any like them. He listened 
gravely until I had finished and then said simply, “Me got um.” “What!” we both ex¬ 
claimed. “So-for-fun-i-kar sos-ta-kar,” he quietly answered. “Where?” we asked. Bil¬ 
ly said nothing but led the way to the bow of his canoe and pointed to an old tin dipper. 
We looked into it and saw two Everglade Kites’ eggs lying on the bottom. It may be as¬ 
sumed that I was not long in transferring them to a much safer place, while my companion 
gave vent to his delight in some whoops and a dance which caused the Indian to gaze at 
him in speechless admiration. Billy said that he found the eggs in a nest built in a bush. 
The next day, Tiger also brought me two eggs from a nest which was built in a similar 
situation. 
I think two eggs are the usual number laid by this bird, for in three instances, no 
more were found and, in the last eggs, the embryos were considerably advanced; I also 
questioned the Indians concerning it and they-said that two were all that the bird ever 
laid. The Everglade Kites appear to be very irregular in the time of depositing their eggs, 
as may be seen by the preceding account. This species is, unlike most other Kites and 
Hawks, very sociable in its habits and I have frequently seen six or eight specimens, at 
one time, flying over the marshes in company or sitting together on the bushes. In flight, 
they resemble the common Marsh Hawk and, as they are unsuspicious, they may be ap¬ 
proached quite readily. 
I have remarked that the first Everglade Kite I saw, was carrying a round object in 
its talons, and afterwards, I frequently saw others doing the same thing. What these ob¬ 
jects were was explained upon dissecting the specimens taken, for all their stomachs con¬ 
tained the animal of a species of fresh-water shell. This shell [Pomus depressa of Say) 
which- was, only a few years ago, considered' quite rare, appears to be restricted to the 
fresh waters of Florida, where it abounds. It is round in form, about two inches in diam¬ 
eter, and dark, glossy green in color. I observed empty shells floating on the waters of 
the Everglades, long before I had the slightest idea that they were cleaned by the Kites, 
but after I dissected the birds, I searched around the bushes where they roosted and fouud 
the shells scattered about quite abundantly. The Indians call it Shal-ly-bung-kar. Short¬ 
ly after our first visit to the Everglades, bunches of eggs, about the size of those of the 
Humming Bird, began to appear on the stalks of the saw-grass. They increased in num¬ 
ber rapidly until there were millions of them. I could not imagine what they were until 
Tiger informed me that they were Shal-ly-bung-kar sos-ta-kar (Pomus depressa eggs.) 
Although the Kites subsisted entirely upon the animals contained in these shells and 
appeared to find them readily, I never saw a single living specimen. I have, however, 
found them on the Indian Hunting Grounds, when freshly killed b} r a fire which spread 
over a drier portion of the Glades. The talons of the Everglade Kite are curved just 
enough to grasp the shell readily and its long, abruptly curved upper mandible is peculiarly 
fitted for removing the animal and it is not uncommon to find specimens of the shell with 
a hole punched in the side by this hook. I have never met with this bird, except on the 
37 
