76 
We now began to retrace our course, and after making several 
landings on the sand-ridge south of Chancey bay we headed 
straight for the southern end of the lake and made our first stop 
for collecting at Observation island. 
From the time we left Pelican Lake until we got back into the 
South New River canal we did not seek the shelter of a harbor 
but anchored from sunset to sunrise on the open lake. We could 
not have been favored with better weather for our undertaking. 
Observation island is quite flat, and aside from some sandy 
beaches, at least at periods of low-water, it consists mostly of 
pond-apple hammocks. The following day found us off the 
mouth of the South New River canal. There we again left the 
“Lida” and in the ‘‘Highball” made a collecting trip some miles 
southward into the Everglades. 
After leaving the South New River canal we crossed to Rita 
island, the fourth island of the lake, and the one remaining to be 
explored. Rita is the smallest of the islands, and apparently 
has less variety of vegetation than the other thre 
The surface of the lake is uninterrupted cet by the four 
islands already mentioned. Several limestone rocks have been 
reported between Rita and Observation islands. We kept a 
ookout for these obstructions, and although the water was 
unusually low, we did not observe them. After leaving Rita 
island we sailed direct for the mouth of the North New River 
canal and anchored along the channel where we entered the lake 
about ten days previous. There we explored a creek lying be- 
tween the mouths of the North New River canal and the Hills- 
borough canal. This creek with its growth of water-lettuce, 
water-hyacinth, pond-lilies, and yellow and white water-lilies on 
the one hand and the large pond-apple and wild-rubber trees on 
the other presented one series of pictures after another of in- 
describable beauty. 
ake Okeechobee may be described as an irregular body of 
water nearly forty miles in diameter. Its broad expanse is 
broken by the four islands near the southern end. Summi 
up what has been said, ae eastern hice consists of deep water 
Borcived bya sand ridge wit growth of bald-cypress 
