Florida Swamps and Forests 



and braes and definite channels. Their waters 

 in deep places are black as ink, perfectly 

 opaque, and glossy on the surface as if var 

 nished. It often is difficult to ascertain which 

 way they are flowing or creeping, so slowly 

 and so widely do they circulate through the 

 tree-tangles and swamps of the woods. The 

 flowers here are strangers to me, but not more 

 so than the rivers and lakes. Most streams ap 

 pear to travel through a country with thoughts 

 and plans for something beyond. But those of 

 Florida are at home, do not appear to be travel 

 ing at all, and seem to know nothing of the sea. 

 October //. Found a small, silvery-leafed 

 magnolia, a bush ten feet high. Passed through 

 a good many miles of open level pine barrens, 

 as bounteously lighted as the &quot;openings&quot; of 

 Wisconsin. The pines are rather small, are 

 planted sparsely and pretty evenly on these 

 sandy flats not long risen from the sea. Scarcely 

 a specimen of any other tree is to be found as 

 sociated with the pine. But there are some 

 thickets of the little saw palmettos and a mag- 



