NOTES ON BISCAYNE BAY. I7l 



deepest water occurs in a small depression west of Cape Florida, where 

 from 13 to 17 feet are found. 



The water of Biscayne Bay is exceedingly clear. In no part can one 

 fail to clearly distinguish objects on the bottom when the surface is not 

 especially rough. It seldom becomes roily, and the amount of muddy 

 water brouglit down from the Everglades is too small to have any notice- 

 able effect on the clearness of the bay. 



Four small streams How into the northern third of tlie bay from the 

 mainland, and exert an aj)preciable influence on the salinity of the 

 water and the character of the fauna. At the extreme northern end 

 of the bay, Snake Creek enters; one branch rises in the Everglades, 

 another in Dumfounding Bay, a small, shallow lagoon located in a long, 

 wide marshy belt intervening between the ocean and the pine lands. 

 Arch Creek is a short Everglade stream discharging near the head of 

 the bay. About 8 miles south of Snake Creek, Little Eiver enters the 

 bay, flowing from the Everglades, which at this point are within 2 or 

 3 miles of the bay. The largest stream emptying into the bay is the 

 Miami Eiver, whose mouth is nearly opposite Norris Cut, the most 

 northern passage between the bay and the ocean. A few creeks flow 

 into the lower part of the bay, but their volume is too small to have 

 any effect on tlie water of the bay. The water brought down by all Ihe 

 streams named is mostly clear, but has a dark-brown color, owing to 

 the presence of decomposed vegetable matter. On the eastern side of 

 the bay, opposite the entrance to Little Eiver, a long, narrow body of 

 water, known as Indian Creek, communicates with the bay by three 

 broad mouths. It extends parallel with and near to the coast for a 

 distance of 5 miles. The water is in general much deeper than that in 

 the adjacent part of the bay and is salt throughout. 



Besides the water discharged by the rivers mentioned, it is said that 

 considerable fresh water enters the bay from the Everglades by seepage. 

 The surface of the Everglades is reported to be 10 or 12 feet above the 

 level of the bay, and the underlying coral formation between the Ever- 

 glades and the coast prevents much absori)tion by the soil and serves 

 as an underground drain. At a depth of a few feet fresh water may be 

 found at almost any point on the shore of the mainland. 



The shores of the bay are very thinly populated, and only at a few 

 points are there settlements. The latter, which are very small, are all 

 on the mainland, and are located on the northern half of the bay. The 

 most northern community is Lemon City, situated a short distance 

 south of the mouth of Little Eiver. Six miles farther south is Miami, 

 at the mouth of Miami Eiver. The principal settlement is Cocoanut 

 Grove, opposite Cape Florida. Buenavista is a small place between 

 Miami and Lemon City. The mainland below Cocoanut Grove is an 

 almost unbroken wilderness, known as the "Hunting Grounds," and 

 resorted to by the Seminole Indians, Some of the keys are under 

 partial cultivation and have a sparse population. 



