272 Natural History Investigations in Florida Waters. 



I made my way up with mucli greater facility than the fellow who 

 climbed the greased pole for a pig. My shout of victory brought the 

 Doctor through the bushes and cactus in such a hurry that his rear- 

 guard was picked off, by the thorny enemy. However, we had both 

 fought, bled and died for our country, and the Colonel did not mind 

 this little brush. I noticed at once the difference between this and 

 other species previously found. And I now have the pleasure of 

 knowing that the highest authority in this country has established 

 some interesting facts in regard to this shell, from specimens collected 

 by me on Sandy Key and Cape Sable. Well, this first prize stimu- 

 lated the Colonel and myself to fresh exertions, notwithstanding the 

 limited area of Sandy Key it is pretty well covered with mangroves 

 and other trees. And among these a dense undergrowth of brush 

 and Cadaceae. In our search for Orthalicus we had to force our way 

 through at the expense of bleeding limbs and torn clothing, however, 

 it paid as we obtained dead and alive, some two hundred specimens. 

 The blood — I mean perspiration — ran from every pore and we had 

 to sit down among the cactus to cool off. The Doctor regretted hav- 

 ing left his soothing syrup behind, but a little forty rod revived our 

 spirits wonderfully, and though Ave had as yet, seen no snakes in 

 Florida, we might in a short time, have seen a whole menagei'ie if the 

 supply had held out. But the canteen leaked and we blamed the 

 cook. We are strictly temperate. After this we proceeded more 

 cautiously, but found no new or interesting species, unless it be sol- 

 dier crabs of unusually large size. Fx'om the number of dead Ortha- 

 licus at the foot of gum trees, I have no doubt that the soldier crab 

 is a Frenchman. As night was coming on we retraced our way to 

 the vessel, only stopping once on the beach to examine a curious phe- 

 nomenon. This was no less than a regiment of horsefoot crabs (L. 

 iwlyphenms) , coming up on shore from deep water to deposit their 

 eggs. The male accompanies the female and may be known by its 

 smaller size. Having dug into the sand where the tide reaches, the 

 eggs are 'milted by the male and left to shift for themselves. They 

 were making a great fuss and evidently having a fine time. I should 

 compute one such deposit to number many thousand eggs. Before 

 leaving the Key, we examined them further, we got home just in time 

 to avoid being left ashore all night, as a tremendous Norther came up 

 and made everything howl. We crawled down into the humble quar- 

 ters termed a cabin and after a slight repast of green turtle, conchs, 

 and crab chowder (smile not, they are good), we turned in. Mean- 

 time the sale continued and increased in violence. But this did not 

 prevent our sleeping sweetly while we rocked on the tossing billows 



