4'04> NATURAL HISTORY OF NORTH AMERICA, 



morning early enough to hear the great owls hooting a farewell 

 to the stars, and the brown thrush welcoming the day. We 

 were soon on board our boat, and proceeding on our way. 

 The tcoods here swarm with fleas ; but, from the time of our 

 landing at New York to our arrival at Jacksonville, I only saw 

 a single one, which was at Shawnee Town. On landing to 

 breakfast the next morning, the first thing that struck me was 

 the overpowering scent of violets, from some little beds of our 

 own Viola odorata, in full blossom, before the house. I never 

 smelt them so sweet before, and never loved the little flower 

 so much. 



In this neighbourhood is much land that has once been 

 cultivated, but has been allowed to go out of cultivation, and 

 is now covered with low bush., chiefly dwarf oaks, Andromedce, 

 sweet gum. Vaccinia, &c. ; beyond are pine-barrens, with here 

 and there hummocks with a tall and varied growth of trees. 

 It appears to be as good an insect country as we have met 

 with in Florida. I have taken a good many Jrgynnis Vanilla^ 

 and several of the Coliades, which I had previously taken in 

 the west. The other day I saw Hesperia Proteus., a beautiful 

 blue Anax, an JEschna, &c. Between us, we have taken in 

 Florida about five hundred and fifty Coleoptera, comprising not 

 more than ninety species ; a good many Lepidoptera, although 

 I think not many of thera new ; a few Diptera, Hymenoptera, 

 and two Sympetra, with the male blue. In a swamp, a little 

 distance from this place, we have taken about twenty-eight 

 species of water-beetles. On our second visit to this spot, 

 R. Foster and I together took about two hundred and fifty 

 specimens of the genera Tragus^ Hi/grobius, Hgdroporus, Colym- 

 betes, Gyrinus, Hydaticus, Hydrophilus, Berosus, Hydrobius, 

 and Hydrochus ; also a species of Naucoris, and one of Corixa, 

 very much like our British ones, and also what I suppose to 

 be a Belostoma, as long as my little finger. I have taken what 

 I believe to be a new genus among the PselapJddcG, and a 

 species of Bembidiadce, so small that I fancy it must be the 

 smallest yet known. I recollect that Dr. Horsfield brought a 

 very small Trechus from Java; this, or mine, must certainly 

 bear the palm for minuteness. Yesterday I found the nest of 

 one of the Vespidw in a very singular place. The tall palmetto, 

 like the palms in general, attains its full thickness before it 

 grows upwards ; I was looking at one of these, — a low. 



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