232 Life of Audubon, 



or forms the subterranean outlet of some of them. The 

 Lakes themselves are merely reservoirs containing the 

 residue of the waters which fall during the rainy seasons, 

 and contributing to supply the waters of the St. John's 

 River, with which they communicate by similar means. 

 This spring pours its waters into * Rees' Lake,' through a 

 deep and broad channel called Spring Garden Creek. 

 This channel is said to be in some places fully sixty feet 

 deep, but it becomes more shallow as you advance to- 

 wards the entrance of the lake, at which you are surprised 

 to find yourself on a mud flat covered only by about fif- 

 teen inches of water, under which the depositions from 

 the spring lie to a depth of four or five feet in the form 

 of the softest mud, while under this again is a bed of fine 

 white sand. When this mud is stirred up by the oars of 

 your boat or otherwise, it appears of a dark-green color, 

 and smells strongly of sulphur. At all times it sends up 

 numerous bubbles of air, which probably comes of sul- 

 phuretted hydrogen gas. The mouth of this curious 

 spring is calculated to be two and a half feet square, and 

 the velocity of its waters during the rainy season is three 

 feet per second. This would render the discharge per 

 hour about 499-500 gallons. 



*' Colonel Rees showed us the remains of another 

 spring of the same kind, which had dried up from some 

 natural cause. 



" My companion the engineer having occupation for 

 another day, I requested Colonel Rees to accompany me 

 in his boat towards the river St. John, which I was 

 desirous of seeing, as well as the curious country in its 

 neighborhood. He readily agreed, and after an early 

 breakfast next morning, we set out, accompanied by two 

 servants to manage the boat. As we crossed * Rees' Lake 

 I observed that its north-eastern shores were bounded by 

 a deep swamp, covered by a rich growth of tall cypresses, 



