THE OOLOGIST. 



149 



Turkey A nhinga anhinga. This species, 

 so far as I could learn, is common 

 throughout the state; both in the neigh- 

 borhood of salt water, a » well as in the 

 interior. I met with it from the north- 

 ern part of the state, to Lake Worth in 

 the south, aud at the edge of the ever- 

 glades east of Lake Okechobee. 



This bird, ofteu called Snake-bird, 

 from the resemblance which its head 

 and long neck bears to a snake,is a pre- 

 eminently aquatic species, and is rarely, 

 if ever taken at any great distaucefrom 

 stream or lagoon. It is found on the 

 Atlantic sea-board, but I do not know 

 how far to the north, and also through- 

 out the border of the gulf, and in many 

 quarters well inland on fresh water, in 

 suitable localities. Occasionally it 

 straggles as far as the Ohio river by 

 way of the Mississippi, and has even 

 been recorded from Indiana. 



Water Turkeys lay their eggs in April, 

 preferably, but many eggs are to be 

 taken in March and I have seen nests 

 occupied in February. Like many 

 other southern species, the Snake Bird 

 is quite erratic in its choice of time of 

 nest building and egg laying, and I am 

 told that it is not unusual to find fresh 

 eggs in June. 



Oue agreeable March day (in Florida 

 March is tine) with the thermometer at 

 i)0 degrees, we sallied forth for Snake- 

 bird's eggs. It would have been alto- 

 gether too warm for a collector at the 

 north to go prospecting, but in the 

 south one gets used to the warm weath- 

 er, even in the middle of winter; more- 

 over there was a delightful breeze 

 which was charming in its stimulating 

 freshness. Our yacht 



'•walked the water like a thing of life." 



and we four were quickly hustled over 

 ten miles of our course. During our 

 cruise two trolling lines were kept out, 

 with the result that a couple of creval- 

 les of three aud six pounds were hauled 

 over the gunwale, and a four pounder 



channel bass was taken in out of the 

 wet. Coming to a little side lagoon we 

 sheered off of the main channel, and 

 ran into this by-path, as we would call 

 it in the woods. 



All about us were the almost impene- 

 trables *mangroves lining the shores, 

 while hehiud them on a little higher 

 ground were palmettos, here called 

 cabbage trees; and live oaks. Coarse 

 grass and rauk vegetation, of, to me 

 unknown species, filled in the spaces, 

 while in many spots were thick clumps 

 of that singular procumben ttree-shrub, 

 the saw-palmetto. These, altogether, 

 give an appearance of wild grandeur 

 which was most pleasing to behold, 

 while there was a charm in thinking 

 what those recesses might conceal. To 

 a northern tenderfoot, of course there 

 was the prospect of big and poisonous 

 snakes, and alligators of terrific size. 

 In fact there was one of the non-adven- 

 turous kind in our party; one who 

 could not be induced to go in a jungle 

 from fear of snakesf. Nevertheless there 

 is no danger, or at least no more than 

 from poisonous snakes at the north. 

 Children are about barefooted in the 

 dense jungle-like places, and newclear- 



* These small trees rise by a series of elevat- 

 ed roots from the edge of the water: the begin- 

 ning or butt of the trunk being from two to six 

 feet above water or land. Another peculiar 

 feature is seen in t'^e branches which in many 

 instances grow downward and apparently take 

 root again. All making an almost impenetra- 

 ble barrier and presenting a most singular ap- 

 pearance. 



t I met one plume hunter who was badly bit- 

 ten by a water moccasin, toxicophis, and he ful- 

 ly explainer) his plight, and treatment to me. 

 He was an Afro-american and at the time he 

 was bitten was thirty miles from a settlement. 

 The snake struck him when he was out in the 

 Heron and Egret plume region. He first suck- 

 ed the wound, which was on his foot, just above 

 the toes, and then bound the leg above the 

 ankle and again above the knee. Next he scar- 

 ified the foot all about the wound with a sharp 

 knife, afterwards placing a handful of gun-powr 

 der on the foot and ignited it. Making for the 

 settlement, he had to rest frequently, and had 

 to remove the bandages as they hurt so that he 

 said he would rather die. After making the 

 distance he was sick two weeks and a portion of 

 the upper part of the foot sloughed off. This 

 man undoubtedly saved his life by his heroic 

 treatment. 



