File:Bird-lore (1916) (14752194171).jpg

Identifier: birdlore18nati (find matches)
Title: Bird-lore
Year: 1899 (1890s)
Authors: National Association of Audubon Societies for the Protection of Wild Birds and Animals
Subjects: Birds -- Periodicals Birds -- Conservation Periodicals
Publisher: New York, National Association of Audubon Societies
Contributing Library: American Museum of Natural History Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

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on,the Egret is apparently increasing verylittle in numbers in South Florida. A steamboat company operating betweenFort Myers and Miami refers, in an adver-tisement, to the millions of Egretsalong Okeechobee and the Canals; but itis mistaken. This misconception hasprobably arisen from the inability of theaverage observer to distinguish betweenthe Egret and other birds of white plu-mage, notably the White Ibis and theyoung of the Little Blue Heron. Last summer I made a twentj-six-daycruise from Tampa to Key West, in com-pany with Herbert K. Job, visiting all thebird-rookeries along the southwest coastof Florida, in the Ten Thousand Islands,and up certain rivers to the Everglades,and I saw less than five hundred pairs ofEgrets and twenty pairs of Snowy Heronsduring the entire trip; and, with theexception of the Snowies, and possiblyfifty pairs of American Egrets, all thesebirds were found in Alligator Bay at thehead of Chatham River. This colony wasguarded the past year by Sam Williams,
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EDWARD A. McILHENNY (64) The Audubon Societies 65 of Marco, an agent of the National Asso-ciation; but unless a more adequate fund canbe provided for this purpose. Mr. Williamsmust leave it to the plume-hunters. In this connection, I would like toemphasize the necessity of having a com-petent warden protect this last Egret-colony of any importance on the southwestcoast of Florida. Before these birds weremolested by the millinery trade, theynested on all the islands in the bay, andin the mangrove bushes along the main-land clear to the sawgrass; but since theaigrette has been used extensively by themillinery trade, this colony has been shotout every year until 1913, when SamWilliams was first employed by CharlesW^illis Ward and the Audubon Society toprotect them. Williams succeeded inbringing the birds through that seasonwith the loss of only seven, which werekilled by plume-hunters in a bold butunsuccessful attack upon the rookery.The next year, owing to lack of money,the rookery was

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