102 IN LOWER FLORIDA WILDS 



rather swollen abdomen. I long took them for 

 wasps and no doubt the birds are so deceived. 

 On closer examination they prove to be diurnal 

 moths, belonging, perhaps, to the family ^Eger- 

 idae. They are among the most attractive insects 

 of Lower Florida. We certainly have no other 

 tree that is the home and resort of such a wealth 

 of life as is the cabbage palmetto. 



At some distance south of the mainland is the 

 chain of Florida keys which gradually approaches 

 as it bends to the northward and between the two 

 lies the Bay of Florida. The bay is studded with 

 low, mangrove-covered islets, and over many 

 square miles the tide scarcely ebbs and flows. 

 When an easterly wind blows strongly much of 

 the bottom may be uncovered even for days at a 

 time. Everywhere along the mainland shore and 

 for some distance out the bottom is of an impal- 

 pable white marl resting on a foundation of lime- 

 stone a few feet below. It is certainly the softest 

 and stickiest stuff in the whole world. It varies 

 in its consistency from milk to a thick paste. 



In times of storm this white mud is stirred up 

 from the bottom and mixes with the water until 

 the whole is a sort of dirty greenish white, often 



