Ji8 THE ENGLISH ANGLER IN FLORIDA xi 



found the fresh trails of seven animals. So lately as the 

 winter of 1895, pumas were quite numerous near the Cypress 

 Swamps, about Long Hammock, Custard Apple Hammock, 

 and the parts south-west of Lake Worth. A puma 9 feet 

 long may be considered a big- one in Florida. Estimated 

 weight about 1 30 lbs. 



The Black Bear {Ursus americanus) 4s still found in 

 some parts of Florida, especially near the coast. Old hunters 



The speak of specimens up to 600 lbs. Good sport 

 Black Bear, j^^y be had hunting bears i.n Florida, but to 

 do it successfully an efficient pack of hounds is required, and 

 one or two of them must be thoroughly trained bear dogs. 

 The bears hibernate in Florida from the end of December until 

 March, and then they are found hunting for crabs along the 

 shore, eating the young palmetto cabbage, and the seeds (or 

 " buds ") of the mangroves. In June they haunt the beaches for 

 turtles' eggs, and in the fall they feed upon the palmetto 

 berries, which grow in abundance on the sandy lands bordering 

 the ocean. One specimen, shot through the lungs with a 

 bullet from a 45-70 Winchester by Mr. Cory in December 

 1893, was an old male and very fat, weighing about 500 lbs, 

 (estimated) ; it measured 6 ft. 2 in. from nose to tail in a 



