The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1900-09-13
GOOD PLACES TO HUNT EGGS
A Novel Industry on the Keys on the
Coast of Florida.
(From tho Washington Times.)

In the latter part of April small,
uninhabited key on the outer reef
of Florida, in the direction of Yu
catan, which has been deserted
for months, suddenly takes on an
appearance of life and activity. The
writer visited it one day in searoh of
green turtle and found it a dreary spot
given over to spirit crabs and their kin
folks Three days later thousand gulls
rose at the approach of the visitors, and
in few days N ore the birds had assem-
bled in what is popularity known as mil
lions. The ground was covered with
them, the air black, and when all were
in flight they formed a remarkable living
canopy over the white coral key with It's
green cap of bay cedar. Every year this
is repeated, two islands of the TOrtugas
group being selected for the purpose by
the terms Bird and East keys the
former the smaller, are the most popular.
AS the boat nearsd the island where the
nesting season was in full progress a dark
cloud could be seen resting over the spot,
and when Within half mile curious
sound was heard-a sharp, continuous
roar like machinery far away, growing
rapidly louder until when the boat was
within 200 feet OF the beach the noise had
become deafening. The cloud had re-
solved itself into terms, each one of which
seemed to be screaming at the top of it's
voice in a high staccato. They came Off
to meet the visitors by hundreds, plung-
ing at the boat in menacing manner,
lowering overhead almost within reach,
and swooping down from greater heights
with wild cries, altogether presenting a
remarkable spectacle. The birds were
pure white with black heads, with here
and there ohocolats-colored body with a
white head. AS the boat ran onto the
white beach, which surrounded the key,
bedlam broke loose. 1t was impossible to
hear word spoken in an ordinary tone,
and screaming was of but little avail yet
it had a marvellous effect on the birds.
One Of the boatmen had gone ahead,
and wishing to stop him his name was
called, whereupon every bird ceased
screaming to listen, and there was abso-
lutte silence as the birds, as il actuated by
a single motive, all pitched downward,
the pandemonium of sounds again; and
as many times as this was repeated so
many times could the terms be silenoed
for a few seconds. AS the men moved
into the bush birds struggled away from
their nests In every direction and made
their way upward, increasing the clamor
and noise In some places the ground
was so thickly streWn with eggs that it
| was almost impossible to walk without
stepping on them. They were about thu
size of hens eggs, speckled and blOtched
/ with black or dark brown A boat came
in loaded with flour barrels which were
soon filled with eggs The method OF
collecting was interesting. The men en-
| tered the bush, which grew thick and to
a height Of perhaps seven feet, and made
their way over the hot sand on their
| hands and knees. A man would drop
down, clear away a place before him and
reach out for all the eggs III his range,
/ piling them up in a heap; then crawl
/ along eight or ten feet deeper into the
/ bush piling as he went. In his wake
came others who packed the eggs in bags
and carried them to the beach, where
they We're placed in the barrels; first q
/ layer of bay cedar leaves, three inches
/ thick, then a layer of eggs; over this
were placed more leaves, and so on until
the barrel was filled, when it was carried
away over to the boat.
/ Collecting eggs In this way by whole
/ sale had It's attractions as a novelty, but
if man had been obliged to do it, he
/ would have considered himself badly
/ treated. The normal temperature out in
the air was terrific but in the bush,
where the suns rays were reflected on the
| sand, where there was no draft It was
intOlerabls. To add to this the strug-
/ Cling birds raised a sitting dust, from
the branches; they rushed blindly at the
/ pickers, beat their faces with their wings,
threw the fine sand this way and that !;
al e.
hit on the head by eggs which the birds
| often dropped. One negro took OIL his
old straw hat, and was hopping his head
with is bandanna when a tern dropped an
egg fairly on his brown pate. 1t was
exciting, but as some one remarked, a
little went great way.
Some days later the writ OF visited the
Island again, and the scene was repeated,
though the birds were now much more
! savage, almost attacking the invaders
/ This was because the sun had Matched the
eggs, and the sand under the bushes was
q squirming mass Of birds. each adding
/ its squeaking to the general clamOr. The
/ birds seemed to mum Der tens OF thous-
ands, crawling about in every direction,
and the question Of each bird feeding its
own young was an interesting problem,
TO the mother at least, who had to dis
tinguish her own offspring among so
many.
J'he parent birds were now ranging the
reef feeding upon sardines and flying
fishes, and the key was converted into a
] gigantic cOmmissary IN which fish was
the sole commodity Every gull had to
be fed several times q day, and the I'M
usual supply of food brought a large army
OF land crabs, which not only preyed upon
the fish, but upon the birds themselves.
/ Lying in the not suffocating bush
gasping for breath, the writer was the OBJ
| server of many strange conflicts: in one
| instance, while under a low tree in which
a noddy had built, The gulIs had laid