130 IN LOWER FLORIDA WILDS 



species of these groups can scarcely be separated 

 from the ancient fossil ones. A remnant of 

 Crinoids or "stone lilies" still survives and this 

 order too goes back to the first days of life. 



What a wonderful amount of generic vitality 

 such creatures must have; what powers of adapta- 

 tion to diversified environment; what ability to 

 hold on tenaciously to their structure and family 

 characters throughout the countless ages! We 

 boast of our old families that date back some 

 generations but here are creatures whose an- 

 cestors have kept [their vigor and likeness a 

 thousand times longer than the human race! I 

 feel like taking off my hat and bowing to 

 them, i 



Shortly after coming to Dade County I made 

 a trip to Paradise Key, a large island in the Lower 

 Everglades and covered with magnificent ham- 

 mock. I went in company with my neighbor, 

 John Soar, and A. A. Eaton, a man in the prime of 

 life and an excellent botanist. He had a fine 

 physique, was full of life and humor, was most 

 companionable and altogether one of the best 

 woodsmen I ever knew. We were always pleas- 

 antly bantering each other. We drove over pre- 



