1889
March 21
Marianna, Florida.
(p. 3, continued)
hanging over the water. We also passed some
large limestone ledges in one of which were
several caves said to extend in for a long distance.
The water in this stream was clear and
cold & fish are said to abound. Otter &
Beaver are both abundant. The latter cut
down large trees along the banks and devastate
corn fields near the river. Manual killed a
large specimen last year. Neither Beaver nor Otter are
systematically hunted by any one. The Beaver
sometimes dam the small tributaries of this
river and flood the adjoining plantations.
The most marked feature about this river
was the almost total absence of birds. In
the ten miles we covered before dark I
saw only one Kingfisher, a pair of Wood Duck
and a Pileated Woodpecker, the latter flew
from a hole in a cypress as we passed evidently
startled from its roosting place by the sound
of the paddle. After dark we heard a few
Barred Owls.
[margin]Beaver[/margin]
  One bird, however, I have omitted or rather
left for special mention viz. the Wild Turkey.
One of the objects of the trip was
to get a shot at one if possible but we
passed mile after mile without either
seeing or hearing one. At length after
the sun had set and the twilight deepened
so that the trees began to loom darkly against