92 WILLIAM BARTRAM 



tions generated by Bartram's contemplation of them. He assures 

 us that 



The importance of the existence of these beautiful and delicately 

 formed little creatures, . . . whose frame and organization is equally 

 wonderful, more delicate, and perhaps as complicated as that of the 

 most perfect human being, is well worth a few moments contemplation ; 

 I mean particularly when they appear in the fly state. And if we con- 

 sider the very short period, of that stage of existence which we may 

 reasonably suppose, to be the only space of their life that admits of 

 pleasure and enjoyment, what a lesson doth it not alBford us of the 

 vanity of our own pursuits (pp. 80-83) . 



The ephemera is born in water, but is only one speck of the 

 multiplicity of life-forms in Bartram's streams. Besides such 

 curiosities as " the manate or sea cow " (p. 231) , his waters are 

 the habitation of many species of tortoise — " very large when 

 full grown, from twenty to thirty and forty pounds weight, 

 extremely fat and delicious, but if eaten to excess, are apt to 

 purge people not accustomed to eat their meat " (p. 179) ; 

 "... small, comparatively, and the back shell lightly raised 

 . . ." (p. 281) ; — of otter — " common ... in West Florida, to- 

 wards the mountains" (p. 281); — of water-snakes; and, of 

 course, of all kinds of fish. To this incomplete list of amphib- 

 ious animals must be added: frogs — in one place four pages 

 enumerating and describing various species (pp. 276-280) ; — 

 beavers — " abound most in the north of Georgia, and in West- 

 Florida, near the mountains " (p. 281) ; — minks; and alligators. 



Bartram's alligators deserve special attention, if only because 

 of the powerful impression they have produced upon both scien- 

 tific and literary commentators. Soon after the appearance of 

 the Travels in London, a reviewer, while admitting that Bar- 

 tram was " throughout an amusing and intelligent observer," 

 took exception to his " somewhat too luxuriant and poetical 

 language ... in his extraordinary account of the crocodile, or 

 alligator, as he indiscriminately terms that horrid animal." ^® 

 The Anthologia Hibernica copied a page and a half from Bar- 

 tram, heading the item " Crocodiles and their Nests. From 



^* The Monthly Review; or Literary Journal. Enlarged from January to April 

 inclusive, 1793. London. 



