NORTH AMERICA. 
the rays of the fun. The delicacy of its colour, and 
texture of its leaves, exceed every thing in vege- 
tation. It generally grows in the water, or in low 
flat lands, near the banks of great rivers and lakes, 
that are covered, great part of the year, with two 
or three feet depth of water; and that part of the 
trunk which is fubjedt to be under water, and four 
or five feet higher up, is greatly enlarged by pro- 
digious buttreffes, or pilafters, which, in full grown 
trees, project out on every fide, to fuch a diftance, 
tjhat feveral men might eafily hide themfelves in 
the hollows between. Each pilafter terminates un- 
der ground, in a very large, flrong, ferpentine 
root, which flrikes oft, and branches every way, 
juft under the furface of the earth : and from thefe 
roots grow woody cones, called cyprefs knees, four, 
five, and fix inches high, and from fix to eighteen 
inches and two feet in diameter at their bafes. The 
large ones are hollow, and ferve very well for bee- 
hives ; a fmall fpace of the tree itfelf is hollow, 
nearly as high as the buttreffes already mentioned. 
From this place, the tree, as it were, takes another 
beginning, forming a grand ftraight column eighty 
.or ninety feet high, when it divides every way 
ground into an extenfive flat horizontal top, like an 
umbrella, where eagles have their fecure nefts, and 
cranes and {forks their temporary refting-places ; 
and what adds to the magnificence of their appear- 
ance is the ftreamers of long mofs that hang from 
the lofty limbs and float in the winds. This is 
their majeftic appearance when (landing alone, in 
large rice plantations, qr thinly planted on the 
banks of great rivers. 
Parroquets are commonly feen hovering and flut- 
tering on their tops: they delight to Iflell the 
balls, 
