318 SOUTH-WEST FLORIDA. 



advantage of this letter to ventilate these subjects. 

 Excellent water can be obtained at any settlement, or 

 from the rivers and creeks above salt water. On a few 

 of the islands fresh ponds and lagoons can be found, 

 where a supply can be secured. On Pine, Useppi, and 

 Lacosta islands, a superior article can be obtained. On 

 any of the islands a fair to good sample can be found by 

 digging a well from two to four feet deep. At Punta 

 Rassa and Fort Meyers, cistern water can be secured. 

 From the streams and springs north of Clear Water Har 

 bor, water equalling the Croton can be found. If the 

 sportsman carries with him one or two five-gallon water 

 kegs he will not suffer. We could find room for but 

 one five-gallon keg, and we managed very well. Aware 

 of the suffering that results from a deficient supply of 

 good water, I was induced in a previous communication 

 to refer to the subject. 



I have visited nearly all portions of Florida except 

 Indian river and Bay Biscayne region, both in winter 

 and summer, and can safely assert that I have suffered 

 more from mosquitoes in one day at the head of Lake 

 Superior, and at Barnegat, New Jersey, than I have 

 during all my visits to Florida combined. From what 

 I have heard stated and seen published I have reason to 

 believe that insects are troublesome on the Indian river, 

 but this should not be made to apply to the whole of the 

 State. I spent nearly two months on the south-west 

 coast, traversed several degrees of latitude and longitude, 

 visited most of the bays, rivers, creeks, and islands, and 

 I can positively assert that I was really annoyed on but 

 one occasion with sand-flies and mosquitoes, and that 

 was one afternoon and evening when we were encamped 

 in the spring of the Chisiowilski. We made it a rule to 



