Miscellaneous. 357 
In my haste I have neglected to state that I saw a good many 
dead birds during the trip. At Tampa ducks were dying. I saw 
dead vultures at Anna Maria Key, and at Passage Key large flocks 
of cormorants were sick and dying. I also saw the carcasses of 
terns, gulls, and frigate-birds. The cormorants sat on the beach 
with their heads under their wings, and could be approached and 
handled. 
It might be also proper to state that on Monday morning, Decem- 
ber 14, about one hour before day, I heard a roaring south-west of 
Passage Key, apparently far out at sea, resembling the “ blowing 
off” of a steam-boiler. The noise continued some ten minutes and 
ceased. After daylight I heard a similar roaring, which lasted about 
five minutes. There was no steamer in sight in the direction of the 
sound, and I observed no swell in the sea following it. After I got 
under sail I heard the noise a third time. Whether this was fol- 
lowed by the death of fish I am unable to say, as I did not stay to 
see. I mention this incidentally as a corroboration of Mrs. Hoy’s 
statement, which is hereto appended. Whether or not either of 
these disturbances of the water had any connexion with the mor- 
tality among the fishes, the theory of subaqueous eruptions of 
poisonous gases is extremely plausible and reasonable. 
Statement of Mrs. Charles Hoy, of Little Manatee. 
The fish began dying here about the Ist of November. About 8 
o'clock on the evening of October 28, or thereabout, I was sitting on 
my front gallery, the air being perfectly still and the bay calm, when 
I heard a heavy splashing of the water in the direction of Gadsden 
Point. This continued for a few minutes and was immediately fol- 
lowed by a roaring sound, such as might be made by the wheels of 
a side-wheel steamer near at hand, though the noise seemed to be 
several miles away. ‘This continued for about a quarter of an hour, 
as near as I could guess, when it suddenly ceased. Some twenty- 
five or thirty minutes afterwards heavy swells began to come up the 
river, such as come in during a heavy blow from the north-west. 
These continued for a long time, gradually becoming lighter until I 
went to bed. In three days the fish began to come up the river 
dead and dying. I caught several mullet that were standing up- 
right in the water, sick, and each had three black spots on the back, 
which gradually faded away. I opened the fish and could see 
nothing the matter with them. The flesh was natural and firm and 
the gills were normal. 
In regard to oysters I have had a rather rough experience, and 
can with certainty say that they are poisonous. A few days after 
the fish began dying I had a quart of fine oysters for dinner. I had 
a lady visitor on that day, but she did not like oysters, and ate 
none. My daughter and I ate heartily of them, and after dinner I 
took my gun and went out to a pond to shoot some ducks. I took 
a coloured woman (my cook) along, and before I had gotten half 
way I began to feel weak, and a mist came before my eyes. I kept 
on, however, to the pond, and when I reached it was so blind I 
Ann. & Mag. N. Hist. Ser. 5. Vol. xii. 26 
