1890
March 31
Suwanee River, Florida
split up into several small branches only two or three
feet wide. I pushed the canoe up one of them for
about 100 yds. when a deer, that had been lying on the 
bank probably asleep, suddenly rose to its feet within
4 yds. of me and giving one terrified look tore off through
the saw grass at a great pace making a loud plumping
sound as it drew its legs from the soft [weed?] at each
bound. It stopped about 100 yds. away but I could
not see it. I heard another start a moment later
on the other side. The one I saw was a large animal
probably a full grown buck but of course without horns.
There were a few Prothonotaries among the scattered cypress
trees on the edge of this savanna but more along the 
creek below. The males were singing in low tones.
I also heard a Downy Woodpecker & some Parulas.
  Returning to the Suwanee I kept down river
for about half a mile and entered a large 
creek on the eastern side which Myer 
partially explored a few days ago. It proved
very beautiful, winding about through a 
fine forest of cypresses, sweet gums, red maples
and green ashes with palmettos along the banks.
For the first mile it was broad with frequent
large deep pools bordered by dense beds of
[bonnets?] but higher up it became so narrow
that the trees arched over it interlocking
their branches for hundreds of yards at
a stretch where the growth was of hardwoods
or old cypresses, where of younger or more
stunted cypresses and bay trees forming
a nearly straight vertical wall on each
side the path of the stream looking in