AND (JOLOGIST. 
103 
March, 1882.] 
A Collector in Florida. 
While on a collecting trip in Eastern 
Florida in the winter of 1879-80 to Indian 
Eiver, I had a good opportunity of study 
ing the nesting habits of the Brown Peli¬ 
can and several species of Heron, which 
nest in this low flat country in thousands, 
and thinking a description of some of the 
species met with may interest the readers 
of the Ornithologist I take the following 
notes from my field book. 
The Indian River is not a river proper, 
but an immense salt water lagoon, bordered 
by large mangrove swamps and long strips 
of prairie, where the Herons and Ibis as¬ 
semble in thousands to feed in the numer¬ 
ous pools and ponds of water; while be¬ 
tween the river and ocean, which in many 
places are scarcely a stone’s throw apart, 
is a long narrow strip of land, covered with 
Cabbage Palms and the dwarf Palmetto, 
with two inlets from the sea, the mouths of 
which ^are choked with numerous sand 
bars, where large numbers of Gulls, Terns, 
and many species of waders assemble to 
feed. Here the ornithologist will find a 
rare field for study, where the birds are 
seldom distiurbed by the report of a gun. 
On the morning of March 26th, (1880,) 
we anchored our yacht, the “Maud,” in In¬ 
dian River Inlet, and our eyes were feasted 
with a sight which fully repaid us our long 
and tedious journey of fourteen hundred 
miles to visit this famous collecting ground. 
It was low tide, and the sand bars were 
literally alive with birds, while more were 
constantly arriving ; the air was fairly black 
with Gulls and Terns, all uttering theii' dis¬ 
cordant cries, passing and repassing on all 
sides of us and within a few yards of the 
boat. Direct in the inlet a hundred yards 
iihead, where the surf beat against the 
lieach with a sound similar to distant thun¬ 
der, stood long lines of Brown Pelicans ; 
on a small sand bar to the left were seen 
several hundred Least Sandpipers, two 
pair of Oyster Birds, several Willets, with 
a large sprinkling of Greater and Lesser 
Yellow-legs; on the further point a solitary 
Curlew stood sentinel. 
As the straggling flocks of gulls alighted 
on the bars, their mates spread out their 
wings and uttered their loud notes, as if 
giving a welcome to the new arrivals, when 
all again would settle into comparative 
quiet. 
With a light skitf paddled by the expe¬ 
rienced hand of the guide, myself and com¬ 
panion were enabled to approach within 
thirty yards of the Gulls, when we pointed 
four shots among the mass of birds fol¬ 
lowed by others in the air. The result was 
twenty-eight dead birds, many new to us. 
By noon all were busy skinning and 
preparing the sjDecimens secured during 
the forenoon, among which were Oyster 
Catcher, Willet, Greater and Lesser Yellow- 
legs,Least Sand-piper,Piping Plover, Brown 
Pelican, Royal, Least, and Havell’s Tern, 
Bonaparte’s and Laughing Gull, Black 
Shearwater, one Turkey Buzzard, one Swml- 
low-tailed Kite, and several Turnstones. 
March 28th — Indian River Narrows : 
Among the small stagnant ponds back 
from the river, we found large numbers of 
Great Blue, ^Vhite, Louisiana, Night, Little 
Blue, Little Green and Snowy Herons, 
Wood and Wliite Ibis, all of wdiich speci¬ 
mens were secured together with the beau¬ 
tiful Water Turkey. 
Mr. Bartram, one of the earliest wufiters 
on Florida birds, states that the Wood Ibis 
is solitary in its habits, not associating in 
flocks; while Audubon found it in large 
flocks. My experience wuth this species is 
essentially the same as that stated by Mr. 
J. A. Allen in his admirable list of the 
“ Winter Birds of East Florida.” Although 
I frequently found it singly or in pairs 
upon the prairies, yet more commonly in 
flocks of six to tw'enty. 
April 1—Pelican Island: This is a low 
flat island situated in the upper end of In¬ 
dian River narrows, about three hundred 
yards long and nearly triangular in shape. 
