82 HUNTING AND FISHING IN FLORIDA. 
Dogs are absolutely essential to successful quail hunting. Of 
course, while driving through the woods, if a flock is ‘‘ flushed” a 
few may be killed by kicking about in the bushes where they are 
seen to alight, but I personally am not partial to this method of 
quail hunting, as I am always afraid that I might kick a rattlesnake 
instead of a quail. It is well to take a good dog with you from the 
North, as well-trained dogs are very scarce in Florida. A fast dog 
that ranges well is the kind most adapted to quail hunting in Florida, 
which is usually done trom wagons or on horseback. When a 
wagon is used it is driven slowly through the ‘* flat woods ” until 
the dogs, who cover the ground 
well and ‘‘ range wide,” as it is 
called, find a covey of birds. 
Then the hunter leaves the 
wagon, shoots what he can out 
of that covey, and drives on to 
seek for another. ; 
In the old days Sanford was 
not in existence, and a little town 
called Mellonville (located a 
short distance south of the pres- 
ent site of Sanford) was the only town on the west side of the lake. 
A line of steamers was then running from Enterprise up the St. John’s 
River, passing through Lake Jessop and Lake Harney to Salt Lake 
and part of the time beyond that as far as Lake Poinset, but the line 
was discontinued years ago. 
Quail and snipe are still abundant along the shores of the upper 
St. John’s in favorable localities, and in past years alligators were 
numerous, but these last have nearly all been killed off. Of course 
a few are left, but they are very shy, and a large one is of rare occur- 
rence. 
Deep Creek, which was at one time a famous turkey country, joins 
the St. John’s River near where it enters Lake Harney, directly 
opposite what is known as Cook’s Ferry. 
The bass fishing near Lake Harney and on Lake Jessop has 
