THE PLANT WORLD 119 



with great dexterity. I often find the black snake coiled up among the 

 bamboos basking in the sunshine. The so-called " coach-whip," a light 

 brown large snake, and the jet-black "gopher snake," with a mother-of- 

 pearl-colored under side, are both very swift climbers. Both the coral or 

 bead snake and the scarlet snake are very common, and near the house 

 I have frequently found the spreading adder, a vicious-looking animal, 

 but perfectly harmless. In the tangled masses of shrubs, ferns, and 

 grass in and around the ' ' paradise, ' ' and even in the garden, among palms 

 and magnolias, quite a number of very large diamond rattle-snakes and 

 the small ground rattlers have been killed. The first-named one is a 

 very dangerous reptile, and its protective coloration does not easily betray 

 its whereabouts. We usually become aware of its presence when we hear 

 it rattle. There is no time to lose in getting out of its way, as it will 

 strike at you immediately. Only a few days ago I came in contact with 

 a huge specimen under a shrub where I was hoeing. Quietly coiled up, 

 the head in the centre, it awaited my approach. I was not aware of the 

 danger until I heard the warning of its rattle. A sudden dash toward 

 me soon followed, but a violent stroke with the hoe ended its life. There 

 is a place near the edge of the lake, a well-like excavation, which is called 

 "moccasin hollow," because it swarms with the most dangerous of all 

 our venomous snakes, the water moccasin, a short, thick, sluggish and 

 exceedingly ugly creature. The water snake, often confounded with 

 the former, is very common about the lake, but though an unpleasant 

 and ill-tempered reptile, it is perfectly harmless. 



The yuccas, palms, dasylirions, in fact almost all plants, are swarm- 

 ing with lizards, or chameleons as they are invariably called. These 

 beautiful creatures change their color from a light gray to a beautiful 

 deep green and blackish constantly. They are very swift, jumping from 

 one branch or leaf to the other. We see them climb along the walls of the 

 house and they enter fearlessly even the rooms. We may often see the 

 male blow up his throat like a pouch. This assumes a bright orange-red 

 color and adds considerably to the beauty of the animal. There are four 

 other species of lizards, but the chameleon is the most abundant and the 

 most attractive of them all. 



The woodlands, particularlj^ in moist places, are now adorned with 

 beautiful flowers. Although I have never had an opportunity to cast 

 my eyes upon such vast masses of brilliant colors as on the prairies of 

 Texas or on the mountain sides of the Alleghenies, there is no doubt 

 that flowers are found in Florida in unrivalled abundance and variety. 

 We may gather a hundred species in a few hours' ramble in early spring. 

 My favorites just now are the various andromedas with beautiful bell- 

 shaped waxy flowers, the different huckleberry bushes and the azaleas 

 on the edges of the lakes and creeks and on the banks of swamps. The 



