60 
THE SPORTSMAN'S AND TOURIST'’S GUIDE. 
tents, the necessary . aeaye seine and a 
good cook; and for exploring and hunt- 
ing in the country south of the Caloosa- 
hatchie, it would be necessary to have a 
light wagon and two mules for transpor- 
tation. Nowhere else on the American 
continent could a party, supplied as indi-| 
cated, find a better field for hunting, or | 
a climate more pleasant, and greater at- 
tractions upon land and water. 
With regard to poisonous snakes and 
insects during the Winter months, mos- | 
quitoes are not at all troublesome, and | 
poisonous snakes are rare. 
| 
| 
MYAKKA. 
To give the country a title indicating | 
its characteristic features, we may quite | 
safely assume that Myakka means Hunt-| 
ers’ Paradise, Deer's Home, Turkey | 
Roost, or—well, suit yourself—any term | 
suggestive of an abundance of game, and 
the best possible place for a hunter to) 
drop into for a month’s sport in Winter, | 
and you have it as well named as it is at | 
present. We say “ drop into” advised- 
ly, for if there is any pleasure in getting 
to it in any other way we confess to utter 
ignorance of it. If you are interested to | 
know what and where Myakka is, take 
any large map of Florida, and, finding 
Manatee county, the name will appear | 
connected with lakes and a river enter-_ 
ing Charlotte’s Harbor. The Floridian | 
gives to all the territory drained by a} 
stream the name it bears, so in the pres- 
ent instance, lakes, river, and the adjoin- | 
ing country, including a widely scattered 
settlement, are all known as ‘The My-. 
akka.” With the lakes and river our! 
story runs. The former lie southeast | 
from the enterprising village of Manatee, 
on the Manatee River, twenty-seven | 
miles from the wharf, where two fine | 
ocean-going steamers land the semi-week- | 
ly aay ps South Florida. Not very far, 
one would say, to travel for good sport. 
Well, it isn’t, over a fine road and with 
@ lively team; but good roads and lively 
teams are not found in this part of Flo- 
rida. On arriving at the lake, you can 
catch an unlimited number of black bass, 
shoot deer and turkeys until you get 
tired, and wild ducks, snipe, and such 
small fry till you become disgusted of 
sport. 
PERDIDO BAY. 
Fish are so plenty and bite so fast in 
Perdido Bay, that one soon gets tired 
catching them. The varieties consist of 
bream, black bass (called trout in that 
section). The bay is reached by way of 
Pensacola, from -which point a_plea- 
sant trip can easily be made to the snap- 
per banks by steam tug. To one who 
| never enjoyed this kind of sport, itis rare 
fun, but soon becomes labor, fishing in 
ninety feet of water with lead to carry 
your line to the bottom, then hauling a 
twenty to thirty pound fish rapidly up 
to the surface, with an occasional jerk 
taking the line and peeling your hands. 
The fish are very abundant, and from 
eighty to ninety red-snappers can be 
taken in a very short time. 
MIDDLE FLORIDA. 
Mippte Fiorina is one of the finest 
countries in the world. All along her 
sea coast are beautiful bays and inlets; 
through the country are fine rivers, ar 
tiful lakes, and pearly brooks. She has 
grand and wonderful springs, whose med- 
icinal virtues are known in all lands. 
She has magnificent forests of pine, cy- 
press, and hardwood timber, ornamented 
with the beautiful magnolia and other 
flowering trees and shrubs. Her lakes, 
rivers, bays, and inlets are full of excel- 
lent fish, Hine sea coast have an abun- 
