NATURAI. HISTORY SKETCHES 329 



when we could get no other) . I proposed to our colored 

 man ' ' BiU' ' that he take off his shoes and pantaloons and 

 feel for it with his toes, in the water about three feet deep. 

 He dropped out of the boat and stepped upon a big moc- 

 casin snake. He gave an awful yell, and as he came out 

 had an enormous snake twined about his naked legs. As 

 soon as he was out of the water it unwound and went 

 away. Bill was sure he was bitten, and I thought he 

 looked very pale for a black man, but I could find no bite 

 or damage. It was several days before he got over the 

 shock, and the rowlock was never found. The moccasin 

 snake keeps in or near the water all the time, and the 

 fires that run all over the country do not kill them, but 

 the rattlesnake keeps most always upon the dry land, and 

 most of them are burned up in the long grass and scrub 

 palmetto. 



I only know of three poisonous snakes in Florida or 

 United States : The rattlesnake, moccasin and coral 

 snake. The last is a small, very pretty snake, and not 

 dangerous unless you handle it. The rattlesnake of the 

 Southern States is a very large and dangerous reptile, but, 

 as I have said before, a very rare snake and seldom seen. 



Tree Nesting Ducks 



I have been interested in reading what Mr. Mather and 

 others say about tree ducks, and thought perhaps the 

 experience of an old bird and ^^^ collector might inter- 

 est the readers of your natural history column. Fifty 

 years ago we used to have six different tree ducks breed- 

 ing on our river : Barrows, golden eye and the buffle 

 head {albeola) rare, but the common golden eye, the 

 American merganser, hooded merganser and wood duck 



