140 FLORIDA BIRD-LIFE 



Lake. I had formed a l^elief that this part of our route 

 woukl be traversed with great labor, but I do not recall a 

 more interesting and enjoyable boating- trip. For four 

 hours we followed channels through the mangroves, often 

 so narrow that there was barely room for the passage of 

 the boats. The branches formed a dense canopy overhead, 

 and marks of the axe showed they had grown as freely 

 below, in places, limbs and roots having been cut out every 

 yard of the way. 



There were obvious advantages in not being pioneers 

 over this trail ! As the shores became somewhat drier, the 

 trees grew higher. The stilt-like, many branched man- 

 groves took the most untree-like forms, their limbs, with 

 those of the button-woods, being laden with orchids, wild 

 pines and other parasitic epiphytes. In the background, 

 triangular stalked cactuses, giant ferns, and a small fan 

 palm, I have not seen elsewhere in Florida, grew profusely. 

 Seen through a picturesque tangle of plant-burdened man- 

 grove limbs, down an aisle of dark water, they produced an 

 impression of the most luxuriant tropical vegetation, and 

 only the birds were needed to make one believe he was on 

 some Lower Amazonian igaripe. Birds, however, were not 

 common along the wild borders of these attractive streams ; 

 a few Cardinals, Carolina Wrens, and White-eyed Vireos, 

 all in their south Florida forms, being virtually the only 

 species observed. 



At intervals, these shaded passages opened into lakes, 

 six in all, varying in size from a quarter of a mile to be- 

 tween two and three miles in length. The larger lakes were 

 set with islands, breaking the distance and forming charm- 

 ing vistas all bordered with mangroves. Here, still lingered 

 hundreds of Coots and Lesser Scaup Ducks with a few Blue- 

 winged Teal. Here, too, were numerous tish; a bass and a 

 small tai-pon leaping into one of our boats as voluntary 

 contributions to our larder. 



The exit from one lake into the passage to another was 



