INDIAN MOUNDS AND CANALS. 319 



anchor a short distance from shore every night ; but if 

 the sportsman encamps on land he will be somewhat 

 annoyed by mosquitoes in the early part of the evening. 

 The mosquitoes of the south-west coast are lethargic, 

 and not active and industrious, as are those of Lake 

 Superior and New Jersey. We carried with us a full 

 supply of mosquito netting and thin muslin to protect 

 us from sand-flies, but the original packages were 

 brought back unopened. I will admit that I was put 

 through by the &quot;red bugs,&quot; but my sufferings were the 

 result of ignorance, and my dearly bought experience 

 will benefit others. At Cedar Keys, Manatee, and 

 Tampa, a few fleas will be found, but never away from 

 settlements or hog nests. At Fort Thompson I thought 

 lessly entered one of Captain Henry s old palmetto-leaf 

 shanties, where dozens of hogs slept nightly, and as a, 

 result I was literally covered with fleas. I secured such 

 a supply that I was forced to strip and sink my clothing 

 to the bottom of the river, and drown the active cus 

 tomers. If the sportman steers clear of settlements and 

 hog nests, he will not find a flea in the southern portion 

 of the State. The last night I spent at Cedar Keys I 

 found that the bed contained a number of fleas, and that 

 to sleep was impossible. I searched my coat, and removed 

 from one of my pockets a box of insect powder. I sprin 

 kled a small quantity in the bed, a little in each shirt sleeve, 

 and some on my neck ; a few fanning motions of my shirt 

 and the top sheet, and peace reigned supreme. The 

 Persian Insect Powder should be carried by every sports 

 man who runs any risk of coming in contact with fleas 

 or bed bugs. If the latter prove troublesome, a small 

 quantity sprinkled on the lower sheet will act like magic, 

 and nearly every bug that enters the bed will be found 



