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for that distance. The tide is felt as far up as Pilatka, 

 and what appears singular, when it is high water at the 

 mouth of the river it is low tide at Jacksonville. Visi 

 tors should always go up as far as Enterprise, to see the 

 beautiful lakes and wonderful springs. We could not 

 get the Clifton much above Lake Winder. A floating 

 island covered with willows had drifted across the chan 

 nel, and we could only get up in small boats to Lake 

 Washington. We found Lake Winder a fine place for 

 game ; deer and turkeys where very abundant, and more 

 snipe than we had seen in Florida. We also found 

 many birds which we did not see about Lakes Harney and 

 Jessup. The carrocca eagle, in full, light plumage, was 

 common ; also the purple gallinule, coast bittern, yellow- 

 crowned night heron ; and we found many extensive 

 breeding places. This is the home of the alligators, and 

 they used to trouble us by getting our birds as they fell 

 into the water, before we could get to them. Sport can 

 be had with alligators by bating a shark hook with a 

 coot, or some other bird. Fasten the end of the rope to 

 the top of a small tree that bends well, and in the morn 

 ing you are almost sure to find one hooked. If a large 

 one, you can only pull him into the bank ; if a small one, 

 keep away from his tail, or teeth, and to get your 

 hook, after you are done playing with him, you must 

 shoot him. In their stomachs you will most always find 

 a roll of feathers, fish, and often large moccasin snakes, 

 and they sometimes eat one another. I have seen one, 

 eight feet long, in a large one s mouth. Favorite birds 

 for our party to shoot were the white-plumed cranes, 

 egrets, snowy herons, for their plumes ; and we could 

 make quite good collections of Florida bird skins. The 

 steamer had two small boats, so we could go up the 



