42 Geology of Tampa Bay, Florida. 
amassed by the action of violent storms; they are abundant in the 
bay. All however which I have seen alive are of a smaller size, 
from which I should judge that the larger ones lived at some re- 
mote period, when a warmer climate and other circumstances were 
highly favorable to the development of molluscous life. I noti- 
ced fragments of Indian pottery amongst them; their immense 
quantity precludes the idea of their having been accumulated by 
the aborigines of the country.* 
This place possesses much interest on account of its being the 
spot where De Soro landed his army. A short distance from the 
shell bank, are the remains of ancient fortifications, probably built 
on this occasion or subsequently by the Spaniards 
There are found along the shore at Fort Brooke, small beauti- 
ful fortification agates, which probably are washed out of the 
marl bed that ‘contains the siliceous petrifactions. Deposites of 
ochre are found between the head of Tampa Bay and the Gulf of 
Mexico; and I have noticed near the marl bed, large masses of 
sand cemented by the oxide of iron. 
To the botanist Florida presents a rich field of research ; here 
he can behold in their native beauty and magnificence, a great 
variety of trees and plants—the lofty Gordonia, the gorgeous Mag- 
nolia, that perfumes the atmosphere with its fragrance, 
tall Palmetto, that gives an oriental appearance to the country. 
The ground in many places is carpeted with the delicate sensitive 
plant, and upon the trees grow a great variety of parasites, the 
most conspicuous and showy of which is the Tillandsia utrieulata, 
whose long subulate leaves form at their base a depression, out of 
which rises a stem three feet high, covered with a profusion of 
white flowers, that produce a fine effect amidst the long moss 
( Tillandsia usneoides) that frequently invests the trees. The 
Hydrangea and the beautiful coral tree, (Hrythrina,) are seen in 
their native luxuriance ; and many vines, such as the Bignonia, 
Passiflora and Ipomea, sailing from trees and shrubs, delight the 
eye with their splendid flowers. Along the coast the mangrove 
(Rhizophora) forms an almost impenetrable mass of vegetation, by 
sending down from its branches vertical stems that take root in 
the soil. 
It probably requires more investigation and comparison before we can safely 
ae that the shells mentioned by Mr. Allen, are identical with those now living on 
coast. It is quite probable that a large, proportion of them are so.—Eds. 
