CROCODILES. 61 



which trout are most abundant, white-perch, cat- 

 fish, and alligator-gars, or devil-fish. Thither in 

 the early part of autumn, when the heat of a south- 

 ern sun has evaporated much of the water, the 

 squatter, the planter, the hunter, all go in search 

 of sport. The lakes then are about two feet 

 deep, having a fine sandy bottom. Frequently 

 much grass grows in them, bearing crops of seed, 

 for which multitudes of water-fowl resort to those 

 places. The edges of these lakes are deep 

 swamps, muddy for some distance, overgrown 

 with heavy large timber, principally cypress, hung 

 with Spanish-beard, and tangled with different 

 vines, creeping plants, and cane, so as to render 

 them almost dark during the day. Here and 

 there in the lakes are small islands, with clusters 

 of the same trees, on which flocks of snake-birds, 

 wood-ducks, and different species of herons, 

 build their nests. Fishing-lines, guns, and rifles, 

 some salt and some water, are all the hunters 

 take. Two negroes precede them, the woods are 

 crossed — the scampering deer is seen — the ra- 

 coon and the opossum cross before you — the 

 black, the grey, and the fox-squirrel are heard 

 barking. As you proceed further on, the liunJc^ 

 hunk, of the lesser ibis is heard from different 

 parts, as they rise from the puddles that supply 

 them with cray-fishes. At last the opening of 

 the lake is seen. It has now become necessary to 

 draw oneself along the deep mud, making the 

 best of the way, with the head bent, through the 

 small bushy growth, caring about nought but the 

 lock of your gun. The long, narrow, Indian 

 canoe, kept to hunt these lakes, and taken into 

 them during the fresh, is soon launched, and the 



