248 IN LOWER FLORIDA WILDS 



seen, for it is largely nocturnal; it also preys on 

 land crabs. Often in the morning I have found 

 the fresh carapaces of the latter lying along my 

 lowland walk, with the soft parts completely 

 cleaned out by these animals. The land crabs 

 are found as far back as the Everglades. 



There are a number of interesting aquatic plants 

 in the freshwater reaches of the streams. In 

 places the water purslane (Isnardia repens) fills 

 the channel until it forms a dam. It has thick, 

 bronzy, green leaves, and is a member of the 

 evening primrose family. Here too is the pretty 

 water pennywort (Hydrocotyle umbellatd] with 

 round leaves elevated a little above the mud, 

 and the Proserpinacas with floating stems and 

 several kinds of leaves. In such places one may 

 find a lovely, low-growing, half-creeping plant 

 (Monniera) with bright green, succulent leaves 

 and pretty purple flowers forming a sod, and 

 often' with it the dainty Samolus or water pim- 

 pernel with small but attractive flowers. Here 

 I have found, either floating or stranded in the 

 mud, one of the strangest plants in the world. It 

 is a Lemna or duckweed (L. minor probably) 

 which has a wide distribution in North America, 



