88 



HUNTING AND FISHING IN FLORIDA. 



and so on, the last and fifth prize being the hide and tallow. " Al- 

 ligator " Jim Russell was the life of the occasion, discoursing upon 

 the great numbers of enormous alligators he had killed and the 

 wonderful shooting he had done ; but on this occasion his wonted 

 skill failed him, and the writer succeeded in winning three of the 



four quarters, so that our boat 

 had fresh "beef" (forgive 

 me, thou shades of Chicago 

 bovines,) for several days in 

 consequence. 



There is at times very good 

 fishing at Indian Inlet, which 

 is nearly opposite Fort Cap- 

 ron, and the long, narrow, 

 sandy peninsula which separ- 

 ates the Indian River and the 

 ocean is covered with pal- 

 metto scrub and scattered 

 hummocks in which small 

 game (and large, also, for 

 that matter) is abundant in 

 places, but of course one 

 must know the country to 

 have good sport. 



Turkeys are not found on 

 the peninsula, but bears, deer, 

 and an occasional panther 

 may be killed by those who 

 " know how" and are willing 

 to work. Small game, such as wildcats, coons, and opossum, 

 are very numerous. I do not, as a rule, allow my young 

 hounds to run wildcats, but occasionally, when other game 

 was scarce, I have put the older dogs on the track of a cat to give 

 them a run. Cats have a habit of running in a circle, going over 

 the same trail again and again, unless they are hard pushed. Some- 



WILD CAT CLIMBING A TREE. 



