24 



HUNTING AND FISHING IN FLORIDA. 



one Indian adorned in this manner. It is probable that most of 

 their ornaments are kept in safe places to be used onl}^ on "state 

 occasions." 



METHODS OF HUNTING. 



During the spring the manatees enter the rivers to feed on the 

 "manatee" grass, and, as some writers claim, the leaves of the 

 mangrove trees. Thev are abundant in the bays and rivers all along 



'llwi^^^Brj's^^^^l^ 



the west and east coasts of Southern Florida. At one time the St. 

 Lucie River was a noted place for them. In New River the man- 

 atee is still common, and they are numerous at times in the lower 

 part of Biscayne Bay and on the west coast south of Charlotte 

 Harbor. They live equally in salt or fresh water, and while with 

 the Indians on one of their manatee hunts I have seen half a dozen 

 rising to the surface of the ocean at one time, over a quarter of a 

 mile from shore. 



Many of these animals are killed by the Indians every year. 

 They hunt them in canoes, sometimes in the rivers, and again in 

 the ocean, but usually near the mouth of some river. 



These animals come to the surface every few minutes to breathe, 

 and their heads may be seen as they appear for a moment above the 

 surface of the water. 



