196 BERMUDA. 



securely walk for several yards, about eighteen 

 inches above the mud, or above the surface of the 

 water when the tide is in. The average thickness 

 of these natural bows is about an inch, and if 

 stretched straight, they would hardly support the 

 weight of a man; but their vaulted form greatly 

 increases their strength, and though they frequently 

 swerve a little under the foot, I never knew one to 

 break. 



There seems to be a continual encroachment of 

 the land upon the sea in certain parts of Hamilton 

 Harbour by the agency of this tree. The mangrove, 

 growing irregularly, projects its sombre shrubberies 

 into the sea in capes and points, inclosing little bays, 

 which, by the gradual growth of the encircling 

 points, by and by become lagoons, or shallow salt 

 lakes. On the sheltered expanse of these beautifal 

 but treacherous lakes, the seeds of the surrounding 

 groves begin to root, and presently we see rising 

 here and there rounded clumps of mangroves, hke 

 little wooded islets spotting its broad bosom. These 

 continually increase in extent, approach each other, 

 and, in the course of years, unite into a continuous 

 grove. 



Occasional Visitants.— The unbroken silence and 

 sheltered retirement of these lagoons offer tempta- 



