The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1907-09-11

| furnish food for them. The native rub
Der, with its little figs, is deaflv loved.
Also the berry Of the Sabal Palmetto,
the China-berry Tree, and Mulberry
Tree.
Among the shrubs is the night
blooming Jessamine, also Dahoon
Holly, some fig trees, and Ardisia, and
acorns from the water-Oak. | have
seen jaybirds eat numbers of these. My
yard is we'll sprinkled with plants of a
small red pepper, that is much used
in making pepper sauce. All the birds
seem fond of the fruit of this bush.
It must have been brought by bird,
for I never planted any of the seed on
my place. I have great quantities OF
Lantana plants, and some of the birds
are fond of the seeds of this plant.
Scattered through my grounds | have
number of large fower-pot saucers,
and these keep filled with fresh water
for drinking and bathing. 1t is only
in the last two years that have been
able to identity more than three Or
four different kinds of the birds that
live with us, and it is amazing how ig
norant the most of us are on this sub
ject, though strange to say, I have
been asked to name them, by almost
every man, woman, and child that
has sat on my veranda, so made up
my mind, that would inform myself;
so I bought three or four volumes
that treated on the subject, and I GER
tainly am now better informed than I
was. One species that has always IN
terested us greatly is a large dapper
looking bird with an iridescent, black
plumage that g1itters in the sunlight
We called the bird water-magpie, be-
cause it loves to paddle around in the
puddles left by the tide, and keep up
never-ending chatter Of small talk.
We learned that this birds right name
was the Purple Grack1e They have a
relative down on the islands, called the
Bronze Grackle. They are in every
way alike excepting the plumage, which
is a pleasing shade OF brown. Our
Grackles are very tame, nut this TRAY
be because we take so much notice Of
them. / have a pan OF mixed grains
on table on the verdlida, placed there
for a family of Cardinals, but the
Grackles consider themselves eligible
to the feast, as we'll as the rcd-bir;1s,
and they are so bold that we have to
approach within four or five feet of
them, before they will fly. Many of
their nests have been built in Our yard.
and when I have been able to reach
them have handled the young birds so
much that they know me quite as we'll
as my parrot does. They seem to
leave our locality about the middle of
July, to return again sometimes i'll
the winter. One year, solitary young
one, got left behind when the others
migrated. and so lonely did the little
fellow feel, that you could not fail to
understand his sentiments when he
found some Of us out in the garden
He used to follow me blocks from the
house, when [ went on some errand,
and when I have been swimming out
in front of Our grounds. he would
amuse himself by flying back and forth
over my head, occasionally swooping
down, as if in PLAY.
Two years ago, I had much amuse-
ment from the antics of a young one
that had no doubt frequently handled
in a nest that was built in one of my
Phoenix rec1inatas One day I was
spraying my ferns with the garden
hose, when one of the young birds
hoped down on the ground and ran
quickly through the spray. I was
somewhat surprised, and kept the water
playing steadily in one spot hoping he
might be induced to take bath Soon
he ran out again from the ferns into
the spray and then back AGAIN. | then
thought [ would turn the water on