58 IN LOWER FLORIDA WILDS 



sprawling Cereus make it much easier to get about 

 them. 



Notwithstanding the fact that the forests 

 of these islands bristle with a great variety of 

 thorns; in spite of the stifling heat within them; 

 the uneven rocky floor; the difficult navigation, 

 and the hosts of tormenting insects, the Florida 

 Keys possess many charms and allurements to 

 the lover of nature, or to the observant, intelligent 

 tourist. There are over 600 species of flowering 

 plants known to inhabit these islands and a large 

 variety of interesting birds. The entomologist 

 finds here a rich field and the reefs swarm with 

 varied and vividly colored life. Many of the 

 beaches are composed of gleaming white coral 

 sand and everywhere there is the intense glow of 

 the sunlight which is characteristic of the tropics. 

 There is often a peculiar shimmer of the dazzling 

 light in which distant islands are lifted up mirage- 

 like into the atmosphere, even until their connec- 

 tion with the earth seems severed. The various 

 tintings of the sea from pale to deep green and 

 through almost every shade of blue are entrancing. 



Finally the Florida Keys are the only bit of the 

 real tropics within the limits of the United States. 



