The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1904-12-02
A BIRD WARDEN'S LIFE.
DANGERS OF TIE MEN WHO
GUARD THE BREEDING PLACES.

and Their Lives are in Danger
Bird Species That Are Now Almost
Extinct---Colonies of Rare Kinds.
THAT man Bradley is going to be
killed some> time" said Frank M.
Chapman, the ornithologist of tle AM
erican Museum of Natural History.
Mr.. Chapman had just returned from
a trip to Florida, and the Bradley ne
meant is G. M. Bradley the warden
of the American Ornithological Union
in Munroe county, of that state.
Bradley has been shot at more than
once, and some day they will get him,
added Mr. Chapman.
Monroe county stretches along the
southwestern side of Florida from
Whitewater Bay and the Everglades
southwark to the coast end On the
mangrove keys from Carts South to
Indian Key and Cape Sable. 1t is
wild country of mangrove islands, inn
penetrable jungles of saw grass,
treacherous mudholes, apparently bot
tomless creeks of soft mud, and al
most impossible morasses. One would
think that in this sort of country the
bird would be safe.
But as a matter OF fact this whole
region is infested with outlaws, white
and black. They make their living
hunting and fishing and selling plum
age to millinery dealers. There are ex-
cellent laws in Florida for the protec-
ton of birds, but laws are obeyed on
ly when there is warden on hand.
Bradley has been a most active and
efficient warden, and that's the reason
I'm afraid they're going to kill him
some time. They have sent him word
that they will.
"The plume hunters are, of course.
the worst depredators. There are laws
covering the dealers in plumes, but
Bradley is warden only in one coun-
ty, and the plumes are sent to stores
in the next county. where they are col
lected for the city trade.
"The white egret, abundant twenty
| years ago, is so nearly eXterminated
that it does not pay to hunt it any
more. The special purpose of my visit
! to Florida was to get material for q
paroquet group for the museum. Early
in the last century all the Southwest
ern States, as far north as Virginia,
were full of paroquets.
Il traversed the entire Kissimmee
river region and camped seven days on
the edge of the Okeechobee swamp and
saw but twelve of the birds. From talk
with residents | found that the bird
is practically extinct No one in the
world has ever seen its nest, so far as
reported l did not find one, and when
l found how scarce the bird was |
made no attempt to get specimens"
The birds have towns and cities of
their own throughout Monroe county,
where they collect at nesting season.
The warden makes special efforts to
protect these rookeries. Just before
Mr. Chapman's visit white heron
rookery which had been guarded with
care was invaded and every bird kill
cd
Some Of these rookeries are exceed
ingly remote. There is one of the
wood ibis two miles inland on Bear
Lake. To reach this the warden has
to pack his canoe on his back for two
miles through thick tangle of man.
grove swamp. There are only about
twenty nests in this rookery. To visit
the big rookery at Cuthbert Lake, sew
en- miles inland, one has to pole and
scull small skiff through chain OF
six lakes connected by narrow, tor
tuous creeks overgrown with a tanse
of red mangrOve.
The big rookery itself. is on a man
grove island two acres in extent. On
this 1000 birds have their nesting
places. About half the colony are Lous-
lana herons. Even this great rookery
is surpassed by one discovered in ar
almost impossible morass at Alligator
Lake. four miles inland from Cape
Sable. The mangrove islands on which
the birds were nesting were surround
ed by an almost impenetrable jungle
The area was too vast and travel ter
difficult to permit the taking of 8
census.
The American egret and snowy her
on. both of them birds of the bon
net" are almost exterminated. The
white ibis and roseate spoonbill
sought for food and sport, are rapidly
decreasing. Other birds, like tht
Louisiana and little blue herons, the
piumes of which are not fashionable
still exist in great numbers.
On Pelican Island, in Indian Riv
err. Warden Paul Kroegel watches Owe
the welfare of the young pelican. Thi
interesting infant is one of the char
acters of the bird world. He begins