20 



THE CAPE SABLE REGION OF FLORIDA 



(Aspleniiim serraium) was most plentiful and stood out 

 most conspicuously as gigantic plants perched on the 

 large tree-trunks. After several hours of interesting 

 and profitable exploration and collecting, both parties 

 met near the source of the Chokoloskee River, where we 

 had left our boats. 



The members of the other party encountered the pond- 

 cypress instead of the river-cypress of the slough. It is 

 a smaller tree, supporting in its upper parts dense clumps 

 of epiphytic orchids and several kinds of bromeliads or 

 air-plants. The lower parts of the trunks often were 

 host to large quantities of the tropical brush-like club- 

 moss-relative, Psilotum nudum. The prairies and open 

 pine-woods were carpeted with various spring-blooming 

 herbs with bright-colored flowers in whose corollas yel- 

 low, blue, and pink predominated. 



Upon returning to the " Barbee," we weighed anchor 

 and went several miles northward in order to investigate 

 the kitchen-middens at Sand-fly Pass. The pass is evi- 

 dently well-named, for the sand-flies soon found us. At 

 sunset we returned to Chokoloskee Island and prepared 

 for our homeward journey. 



The following morning, on a low tide, we decided to 

 go to sea, but after proceeding for a mile through the 

 channel we ran on an oyster-bar. We deferred our 

 departure, therefore, until we should have more water. 

 When the tide did come in we made our way to the Gulf 

 of Mexico, where we were greeted with a strong wes- 

 terly gale and a sea so rough that we were compelled to 

 eat our dinner off the floor of the boat instead of ofif the 

 table. 



