356 THE AMERICAN NATURALIST. . [Vor. XXXIV. 
cormorant is frequently seen flying across the harbor. Charac- 
teristic shorebirds are the black-bellied plover, oyster catcher, 
willet, spotted sandpiper, yellow legs. Other characteristic birds 
seen about the harbor are the fish crow and boat-tailed grackle. 
In the town, and in the woods back of the town, and on the 
banks, many species are found which are common in the central 
part of the state (mourning dove, flicker, kingbird, crested 
flycatcher, phoebe, towhee, cardinal, mocking bird, brown 
thrasher, titmouse, Carolina chickadee). In the winter there 
is said to be good duck shooting in the neighborhood of the 
town. 
Other Vertebrates. — A number of lizards are abundant in 
and back of the town (Anolis carolinensis, Eumeces fasciatus, 
Cnemidophorus sexlineatus, Sceloporus undulatus). Alligators 
are said to be common in localities close to Beaufort, espe- 
cially in White Oak River, opening into Bogue Sound. Speci- 
mens are occasionally brought into Beaufort. The bank ponies 
quickly attract the attention of the newcomer. They run wild 
on the banks and adjacent parts of the mainland, and are peri- 
odically corralled (“penned”) for branding and sale. The 
ponies are fond of the salt-marsh grass, and droves may, on 
almost any day, be seen wading or swimming between the 
shore and the marsh islands. Deer are fairly abundant in 
localities, both on mainland and banks. Other common mam- 
mals are the mink, raccoon, opossum. Coues (loc. cit.) says 
the “marsh hare” (Lepus palustris) is “the most abundant 
and characteristic mammal” on Bogue bank. Porpoises are 
frequently seen in the harbor; the pairing season, according to 
Coues, is in April and May. 
Dr. D. S. Johnson and Mr. W. C. Coker, of Johns Hopkins 
University, made, during the past season, a reconnaissance of 
the flora of the region, the results of which Dr. Johnson has 
embodied in two papers (on the flora of the banks, and the 
algae of the harbor), which will appear in the Fish Commission 
publications. Dr. Johnson describes the peculiar physiographic 
characteristics of the banks, which (I quote from his unpub- 
lished paper) * vary in width from a quarter of a mile to a mile 
and a half, and in height from nearly sea-level, in the case of 
