10 THE | Av DU CBrORNG ob Ot ae 
Florida in February, 1949 
By Dr. ALFRED LEWY 
We left Chicago by train for New Orleans Feb. 3 at 5 p.m. It was al- 
ready quite dark and snowing, presently turning to rain. The next morn- 
ing from McComb, Miss., on to New Orleans through the dirty windows I 
could recognize two vultures and a hawk about the size of a red-shouldered. 
The willows were in leaf and an unidentified tree in catkins. The grass was 
green but the fields brown. At Kenner we saw the first palms; azaleas were 
in bloom and camellias past their prime. 
In New Orleans it was raining. At Audubon park the boat-tailed grackles 
were much in evidence, as usual; blue jays, robins, and mockingbirds were 
seen; a meadowlark who sang the eastern song and a Baltimore oriole were 
heard. The mockingbirds were silent. On the 6th we took a short drive to 
see the bald eagle nest in the Lake Ponchartrain marsh, which is visible 
from the highway. One mature eagle was at the nest. 
Feb. 9 we started for Florida by auto. We passed the point from which 
the eagle nest is visible, but no eagle appeared. We did see one near Gulf- 
port, Miss. Mockingbirds and jays were common sights as were turkey vul- 
tures. On the entire trip very few black vultures were identified, although 
I believe I can identify them at a distance. At Bellingrath gardens birds 
were relatively scarce, perhaps because of the insect control measures ne- 
cessary in so highly cultivated a place. It is one of the show places of the 
south and well worth the short side trip from the main road. Mr. Belling- 
rath is well along in years, but tries to see all the hundreds of guests who 
are attracted to this beautiful spot. 
Approaching Pascagoula four osprey nests were seen within a half mile, 
but no osprey. East of Ft. Walton on the white sands were sanderling, but 
in general shore birds were scarce all along the gulf coast. On the 11th we 
started out from Ocala and visited Silver Springs, where through glass 
bottomed boats we saw the deep but not dark caverns filled with gems of 
vegetation, fish and turtles, all imaginatively and poetically named in the 
continuous lecture delivered by the “guide,” but nevertheless a most inter- 
esting spectacle. 
As we approached Melbourne over the St. Johns river marshes, there 
were many boat-tailed grackles, many egrets—American and smaller white 
ones that may have been little blue herons or snowy—and one bird that 
looked to me like a_ sandhill crane in flight, with outstretched neck; 
meadowlarks, sparrow hawks, bluebirds, and shrikes. We were soon in Mel- 
bourne where Ed Ford had secured accommodations for our stay, which 
turned out to be for four exciting days. 
Our first trip was to Melbourne Beach and Cocoa Beach, reached by 
crossing the Indian and Banana so-called rivers, which are really inlets or 
bays of the ocean. A bald eagle greeted us overhead and our list included 
tufted tit, cardinal, mockers, red-bellied woodpecker, Florida or scrub jays— 
