118 THE PLANT WORLD 



ing from a surgical operation. In digging the grave the men had to use 

 crowbars and picks, as the raised platform which forms the mesa turned 

 out to be a solid mass of coral rock. 



Monday, December 25. — This has been a sad Christmas for us all. The 

 Governor had issued invitations for a dinner party at the palace. We 

 thought he would postpone it out of respect for Ingate ; but he sent his 

 orderly to say that he expected us. He was at one end of the table, the 

 Major at the other, and I at his right hand. There was a printed menu 

 with some witty things upon it d. pj^opos of the occasion , and there was 

 music by the band ; but jokes fell flat and nobody could pretend to be 

 merry. Only a short time before, Ingate and I had been taking wheel 

 rides together and playing duets on our zithers. He was to have been at 

 the dinner. He was a delightful companion, and we all felt his loss. 

 Somebody mentioned his name; but the Governor exclaimed, "He 's 

 dead — let him rest ! " Everybody was still, and I think all of us realized 

 how little difference it would have made if we too were lying up on the 

 mesa beneath the stars. 



[to be continued.] 



The Beginning of Spring in Florida.— II. 



By H. Nehrling. 



Skunks, foxes, opossums, and raccoons are quite numerous every- 

 where, and for this reason the hen-house has to be locked every night. 

 Squirrels are much less common here than in all the other parts of our 

 country which I have visited. The common flying squirrel, however, is 

 abundant, and I have always trouble to keep it out of the nesting boxes 

 which I provided for the birds. Being nocturnal in its habits and a 

 great robber of birds' nests, it is no easy matter to protect the martins, 

 crested flycatchers and Carolina wrens and other hole breeders from the 

 ravages of this squirrel. The black rat or house rat is very abundant, 

 and as it is particularly fond of the sweet fruit of the berry-bearing species 

 of cocoa-palms, it becomes very noxious. Among mammals occurring 

 here I must mention the very common wood rat {^Neotoma floridayia) and 

 the salamander (^Geomys tuza floridanus), really a gopher.* A house 

 mouse I have not yet seen in Florida, but there are several field mice. 



At this time of the year snakes are quite abundant. The bright warm 

 sunshine induces them to leave their hiding places. We do not find 

 them on the ground only, but several species climb trees and bushes 



•Here they call tbe real gopher " salamander," and the common land turtle is called " gopher." 



