322 THE POPULAR SCIEXCE MONTHLY. 



main island, tbrough which the tide flowed with a rapid current. Fish 

 may be always found at such jjlaces, where they are apparently on 

 the lookout for the food swept back and forth by the tides. Ilcre 

 our guides captured two fish in as many minutes, Avhich were more 

 than enough for our breakfast and supper. The largest of these was 

 the grouper {Epinephelus morio) a thick, powerful fish of a dull, red- 

 dish-olive color, with a square tail like a cod. The other, the barra- 

 couta or sennet {Hijhyrmia picuda) has the shape of a pike. Its jaws 

 are armed with long, projecting teeth. Neither of these fish are espe- 

 cially esteemed, but of the two the barracouta is the best. The inhab- 

 itants of these islands capture most of their fish and the turtle with 

 the "grains" or spear. A water-glass also is usually carried in the 

 boat. The grains is an awkward weapon, but in skillful hands a most 

 effectual one, consisting simply of a spear-head attached to a rope, at 

 the end of a long pole. 



Above the sand-beach there were two small springs, where our 

 guides scooped up enough water to fill a small keg. These were 

 merely holes dug in the sand scarcely above high tide, and contained 

 decidedly brackish rain-water, which, however, could be rendered pal- 

 atable by boiling and by the addition of lime-juice. The swamp was 

 bordered by an almost impenetrable growth of shrubbery and small 

 trees, in which were hundreds of old pigeons' nests. The ground was 

 literally strewed, particularly under the trees, with an interesting spe- 

 cies of hermit-crab, which inhabits the empty shells of a common 

 whelk. These crabs are of a chocolate-brown color, and have one 

 large swollen claw. They are exceeedingly active, climbing steep 

 surfaces with ease, and probably ascend trees. 



We could hear the whirring of hundreds of pigeons overhead, 

 and their peculiar cooing, cu-oo-cu-oo-cu-hu-hxi, which has a singularly 

 melancholy sound in the woods at dusk. It is impossible to see out 

 of these tangles where the branches and vines interlace over your head, 

 and it is sometimes necessary to climb up and take your bearings. At 

 the hour of twilight the pigeons are approached without difficulty. 

 Besides the white-crowned pigeon ( Cohnnha leiicocephala) there was 

 also another species, called the " rock dove." The former is of a nearly 

 uniform plumbeous blue, excepting its snowy crest. The rock-dove is 

 more l)rilliantly marked with brown, and iridescent green and blue. 

 It is a pretty sight to see hundreds of these birds sitting erect on the 

 trees, and to watch their rapid, incessant flight. If one is disturbed, 

 all within gunshot take wing, and circle rapidly over the trees, some- 

 times encompassing the island before settling again. These birds 

 were apparently about to breed here very soon. 



There was a palmetto-grove on this island, in which a recent fire 

 had burned away all the undersh rubbery, leaving a clean floor to walk 

 upon, and the charred trunks and new foliage of some of the palms 

 showed how closely they also had escaped. These trees have great 



