The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1904-10-26
A BIRD WARDEN'S LIFE
DANGERS OF THE MEN WHO
GUARD THE BREEDING PLACES.
The Hunters for PIumaee Hate Them,
and Their Lives are In Danger
Bird Species That Are Now Almost
Extinct-Colonies OF Rare Kinds.

Bird Species That Are Now Almost
Extinct-Colonies OF Rare Kinds.
"That man Bradley is going to be
killed some time" said Frank NJ.
Chapman, the ornithologist of the Am
erican Museum of Natural History.
Mr.. Chapman had just returned from
trip to Florida, and the Bradley he
meant is q. NJ. Bradley, the warden
of the American archaeological 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 and on the
mangrove keys from Cards South to
Indian Key and Cape Sable. II is
wild country of mangrove islands, i'm
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.
tion of birds, but laws are obeyed on
ly when there Is a 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 IL does not pay to hunt IL any
more. The special purpose of my visit
to Florida was to get material for a
paroquet group for the museum. Early
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 | did not find one, and when
! 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 q white heron
rookery which had been guarded with
care was invaded and every bird kill
ed.
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 a thick tangle of man
grove swamp. There are only about
twenty nests in this rookery. TO visit
the big rcCkery at Cuthbert Lake. sew
en- miles inland, one has to pole and
scull small skiff through a chain of
six lakes connected by narrow, tor
tuous creeks overgrown with tangle
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 roolSery
is surpassed by one discovered in an
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 too
difficult to permit the taking of
census.
The American egret and snowy her
on, both of them "birds of the bon
net" are almost extermlnated. The
white ibis and roseate spoonbill,
sought for food and sport, are rapidly
decreasing. Other birds, like the
Louisiana and little blue herons, the
plumes of which are not fashionable,
still exist in great numbers.
On Pelican Island, in Indian Riv-
er, Warden Paul Kroegel watches over
the welfare of the young pelican. This
interesting infant is one of the char
acters of the bird world. He begins
to talk before he leaves the egg. in a
tone resembling that of an uninte!li-
gent puppy, and keeps 1t up incessant-
ly until he begins to learn to fly. He
fights from the first time he leaves the
nest, and waddles over to the next one
to whip the occupants, at whom he has
been squawking defiance for days.
Three or four thousand of these agree
able youngsters are coming to matur-
ity at Pelican Island.
At the Sandy Key Lighthouse the
lighthouse keeDer protects a colony of