12 DHE -AtUsD.0 BONY [BUS Eyieehe ae 
conducted tour. Wood and white ibis abounded in flocks and were wheeling 
around all the time, also American egrets and little blue herons in both 
white and blue plumage, and a few Louisiana herons. The limpkin, which I 
was also to see at Wakulla Springs, and the anhinga were interesting. Also 
for my life list the great white heron was pointed out to me by Mr. Dilley, 
who called attention to the heavier head and bill complex as compared with 
the American egret. The legs show some yellow compared with the black 
legs of the egret. 
Of great interest was my first view of what is virtually a tropical jun- 
gle: banyan trees; the strangler fig whose seed landing in the crotch of a 
live oak proceeds to throw out roots that follow the trunk of the host to 
the ground, eventually choking it to death; royal, silver, cabbage, saw pal- 
metto, and cocoa palms; many other trees with orchids and bromelias crowd- 
ing their trunks and branches which they use for physical support while de- 
pending on the air for sustenance. There were many other trees new to me. 
The next day we started back north taking the road west of the unseen 
Lake Okeechobee. In the marshes just north of Miami were many egrets, 
both snowy and American in breeding plumage; little blues, white ibis, and 
one that looked like a glossy ibis, feeding on a mud flat. It was a new bird 
to me, but looked like the flock I saw later at the Delta (Miss.) refuge. 
Many marsh hawks were seen and for the first time I saw an Audubon’s 
caracara. The red face, white primaries and tail, and dark midsection 
seemed characteristic. 
We visited Bok tower near Lake Wales, arriving just in time to hear the 
chimes, which play only Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday at noon. Birds 
in this sanctuary seemed relatively scarce; in fact, throughout the orange 
country this was true, and I cannot help thinking that insect control has 
something to do with it. 
On Feb. 25 we visited the Delta Wildfowl] refuge, nearly 100 miles south 
of New Orleans. We were met at Venice, La., by the refuge manager, Kent 
Myers, and taken by boat down and across the Mississippi, which was at 
flood stage. The refuge is about 48,788 acres of marsh and flats, plus gull 
and tern islands in Breton sound. On these islands ege collectors are a 
problem. They ruthlessly trample all the eggs so as to be sure to get fresh 
ones a day or two later. One wonders how the sea birds ever survived be- 
fore government protection was afforded. Large flocks of geese, mostly blues 
mixed with a few lesser snow and Canada, got up with a tremendous cla- 
mor. One flock of about 3,000 and others of 1,000 to 2,000 were seen. 
The visits to the Everglades National park and to the Delta refuge were 
made possible through the offices of our good friends, Leo Couch and Philip 
DuMont, of the fish and wildlife division of the department of the ee 
and I want to take this occasion to thank them again. 
More About Florida 
Dr. Lewy was not the only member of the Illinois Audubon Society to 
visit Florida last winter. At least six others visited the state in late Febru- 
