48 GAME ANIMALS AKD BIRDS OF FLORIDA. 



glades. The custard apple trees there were filled with 

 their newly bnilt nests. 



62. Snake bird (Plotus anliingci). The most abun 

 dant species, with the exception of the white heron, on 

 the lake or river. It had both eggs and young as early 

 as February 23d ; everywhere abundant. No mammals 

 were seen about the lake, and signs only of rabbit and 

 raccoon. Deer occurred on the Kissimmee prairie, but 

 in small numbers. 



Game and fish are abundant in the vicinity of St. 

 Augustine during the winter. Besides English snipe, 

 the brown-winged curlew, mallard ducks, blue and green- 

 wingcd teal, there are the summer duck, spoonbill, wid 

 geon, shag-pole, sprig-tail, black-head, blue-head, Eng 

 lish diver, canvas-back, and the raft duck, which is found 

 only in salt w r ater. These ducks infest the rivers in 

 thousands, and are considerably hunted. The sports 

 men do not exhibit a great amount of desire to fish, 

 although fish are plentiful and large. Not long since, a 

 number of boys, while casting their fishing lines from off 

 the old fort battery here, hooked several large channel 

 bass, the largest one weighing as high as thirty-four 

 pounds. Trout also are freely caught. Then there is 

 the mullet, whiting, black-fish, sheepshead, and other 

 varieties, all in season. The oysters which line the 

 river banks are delicious, and are gathered with 

 out any difficulty and to any amount. We recently 

 gathered a good mess just along the city sea wall, not fifty 

 yards from the streets. The deer, wild turkey, and bear, 

 are successfully hunted in close proximity to St. Augus 

 tine. The hotels are kept in bountiful supply with ven 

 ison and wild turkey, killed by our old hunters. One 

 of them, and undoubtedly the most experienced in the 



