°1913 I Wright lnd Harper, The Birds of Okefinokee Swamp. 48o 



The hammocks occupy practically the whole of some of the 

 -mallei' islands, and the borders of some of the larger ones 

 (Plate XX). The tree growth here consists of such species as 

 'spruce pine' (Pinns Tceda) 'live oak' (Querents geminatat), 'water 

 oak' (Quercus nigra), 'loblolly' (Magnolia grandiflora), 'sweet bay' 

 (Persea pvbescens), and sweet gum (Liquidamber Styracifiua). 

 Saw-palmetto Tonus a conspicuous pari of the undergrowth. The 

 1'ileaied Woodpecker, Red-bellied Woodpecker, ( "rested Flycatcher, 

 Acadian Flycatcher, Cardinal, Hooded Warbler, and Carolina 

 Wren are die common birds of this habitat; it is noteworthy, how- 

 c\ er. thai none of them are confined to it. Our few records of the 

 Ived-eycd Yireo within the swamp were made in the hammock on 

 Billy's Island. 



Cypress 'bays.' (Plates XX and XVIII.) The dominant plant 

 growth of the 'bays' is the pond cypress ( Ta.vodium imhricarinin); 

 and probably nowhere else in the world does it attain a heavier 

 growth or finer proportions. The river cypress (7'. distichum) 

 also is found in some places, especially along the lakes and 'runs.' 

 Among other important trees are the black gum (Nyssa sylvatica), 

 red bay (Gordonia Lasianthus), white bay (Magnolia virginiana), 

 and sweet l>ay (Persea pvbescens). The red maple (Acer rvbrum) 

 is less common. From the trees hang great festoons of Spanish 

 'moss' I Tillandsia usneoides). The undergrowth consists of such 

 plants as the ' hurrah hushes' I Pieris nifiila and Leucothoe racemosa), 

 'gallberry' and other shrubs, tall ferns (Lorinseria and Osmunda), 

 and poison ivy (Rhus radicans). In many places the 'bamboo 

 vine' (Smilax laurifolia) and the muscadine (Vitis rotundifolia) 

 bind the undergrowth into an impenetrable tangle. As a general 

 rule, these shrubs and vines are more abundant at the edges of 

 the ' hays' along the watercourses, where they receive more sunlight 

 than within the depths of the cypress forests. During our stay the 

 water in the 'hays' stood at an average depth of several feet, but 

 in drier seasons this depth is greatly reduced and the underlying 

 muck is exposed over large areas. 



The southern graj squirrel (Sciunis carolinensis), raccoon, 

 Florida bear, and wild cal are at home in the cypress ' bays.' The 

 pied water snake i Natrix taxispilota) and the cottonmouth (Ancis- 

 trodon piscivorous) drop from the bushes along the 'runs' as one 



