150 REEDS, SHELLS, AND BIEDS. [CHAP. XXIX. 



to them, showing that in the course of the year, 

 when the river is low, the salt water prevails here, so 

 that these marine cirripeda have time to be developed 

 from the embryo state, and to flourish for some 

 months, till they are killed by the returning fresh 

 water. We could only detect one shell inhabiting 

 these mud banks, a species of Neritina. But I am 

 told that the Gnathodon is found in the brackish 

 water, a short distance beyond. It was also stated, 

 that about eighteen miles beyond the south-west and 

 north-west passes, or extreme mouths of the river, 

 there are banks of sea-shells of various species. 

 With the arundo was intermixed a tall rush or reed- 

 inace (Typhd) 9 somewhat resembling the bulrush. 

 We got out and walked on these banks, on which 

 fresh water was standing, so cold and benumbing to 

 the hands, that we had no fear of musquitos. At 

 almost any other season these insects would have 

 swarmed here, and tormented us greatly. Even the 

 alligators were invisible, though some of them had 

 been out a few days before. Many paths, recently 

 trodden by racoons, were seen to traverse the reeds, 

 and there were foot-prints of the civet or mink, and 

 of wild cats and water-rats in abundance. We put 

 up several white herons, and many snipes and curlews, 

 and the boat-tailed grackle ( Quisqualus). 



At length returning to the boat, we soon reached a 

 channel blocked up with drift wood in every stage of 

 decay, some fresh and sound, but most of it rotten 

 and water-logged. We walked for hundreds of yards 

 over natural rafts of this timber, the quantity of 

 which, they say, has sensibly diminished since the 



