TRAVELS Itf 
IJO 
a graceful [Weep or flourifh, like the long J of 
the branches of a fconce candlefcick. The ripe 
and green fruit are placed round about the item or 
trunk, from the lowermoft leaves, where the ripe 
fruit are, and upwards almofc to the top ; the heart 
or inmoft pithy part of the trunk is in a manner hol- 
low, or at belt confifts of very thin porous medullae 
or membranes. The tree very feldom branches or 
divides into limbs, ' I believe never unlefs the top is 
by accident broke off when very young : I faw one 
which had two tops or heads, the ftem of which di- 
vided near the earth. It is always green, orna- 
mented at the fame time with Towers and fruit, 
which like figs come out fingly from the trunk or 
ftem. 
After refting and refrefhing myfelf in thefe de- 
lightful (hades, I left them with, reluctance. Em- 
barking again after the fervid heats of the meridian 
fun was abated, for fome time I paffed by broken 
ridges of (belly high land, covered with groves 
of Eive Oak, Palm, Olea Americana, and Orange 
trees; frequently obferving floating iflets and green 
fields of the Piftia near the fhores of the river and 
jagoons. 
Here is in this river and in the waters ail over 
Florida, a very curious and handfome fpecies of birds; 
the people call them Snake Birds ; I think I have 
feen paintings of them on the Chjnefe fcreens and 
other India pictures : they feem to be a fpecies 
of cormorant or loon (Colymbus cauda elongata), 
but far more beautiful and delicately formed 
than any other fpecies that I have ever feen. The 
head and neck of this bird are extremely frnall and 
(lender, the latter very long indeed, almoft out of 
all proportion ; the bill long, ftraight, and flender, 
3 tapering 
