PROC. ENT. SOC. WASH., VOL. 21, NO. 8 . NOV., 1919 189 
the dredge and bunk house. It might be stated that evidences 
of deer are common on the prairies, hence the presence of deer- 
flies ( Chrysops ) is easily explained. 
After leaving the dredge we ran a straight compass course for 
Cape Sable through the lower hammocks, lagoons of White Water 
Bay, and across the saw grass prairies. North of West Lake 
adults of Tabanus lineola and Chrysops flavidus and plangens 
Wied., a small dark species, were captured. Our intention had 
been to make an exploration and collecting trip to Cape Sable, 
but due to the very rough travel and limited time, we decided to 
turn back. We were forced to hack our way with a machette 
through the low but dense and almost impenetrable hammocks, 
and the low thickets of aerial roots of the red mangrove. It 
was necessary also to wade through lagoons up to our waists in 
mud and water, and finally to make our way through high saw 
grass (a sedge Cladium effusum ). 
Night comes very suddenly in the tropics and sub-tropics and 
we made camp on one of the higher hammocks; after the short 
dusk, lire flies appeared. During this night of February 25, we 
were able to sleep by using our insect sweeping nets to protect 
our hands and faces from mosquitoes The usual night cries of 
wild life broke the stillness. We could also hear the pounding 
of surf. 
The Lower Everglades or grassy marsh lands south of Lake 
Okeechobee, and in general south of latitude 27°, have a humid, 
tropical flora. As GifTord (1911) points out, 1 this latitude is the 
same as that of Egypt. The region south of Paradise Key to- 
wards Cape Sable is still wild; as the region immediately north 
of West Lake is approached, the low morass is more frequently 
dotted here and there with beautiful, green hardwood ham- 
mocks, the elevation of the ground being slightly higher than 
the saw grass prairie. 
The edges of some of the first hammocks encountered south of 
Paradise Key were strikingly fringed with bald cypress trees which 
late in February, 1919, were mostly bare of foliage. Against the 
background of the green foliaged hardwood trees in the ham- 
mock, these bare, grey cypress stood out like “ghost 1 ’ trees, and 
appeared white as if frosted, especially so in the early morning 
fog just after dawn, when the sun first "struck them. 
Farther south, clumps of the beautiful saw-cabbage palmetto 
Pan rotis wrightii appeared in the hammocks. Other trees were 
cocoa plum, poison wood (Metopiuni), sweet bay, bay berry, 
white mangrove, red mangrove, and cabbage palmetto. The red 
1 Gifford, J. # "The Everglades and Southern Florida." Miami, 1911. 
T 
190 PROC, ENT. SOC. WASH., VOL. 21, NO. S, NOV., 1919 
mangrove trees are mainly low which may be explained by 
the presence of brackish water or brackish soil at the roots. 
The black muck soil of the Everglades overlies marl or limestone 
rock. 
Near West Lake are encountered endlessly meandering lagoons 
of White Water Bay, with mud or rock bottoms and with the 
only slightly brackish water waist deep. 
The endless waste of brown saw grass — as high as a man’s 
head — is even here broken by low, green hammocks of red man- 
grove, bay berry, poison wood and cocoa plum. A tropical aspect 
is afforded by the presence of the green but leafless wild vanilla 
vines. 
'tracks of otter, deer and marsh rabbits were observed. 
C. A. Mosier captured an adult of Tabanus americanus at 
Paradise Key in 1919, on February 28. This was the first appear- 
ance of this fly for the season. On March 1 another adult was 
observed; on March 2 there were a few adults on the veranda 
screen; there was a slight increase in numbers on March 4 to 5. 
On March 2 the junior author collected an adult of T. lineola 
in the Everglades directly west of Miami along the Tamiami 
trail. 
On March 7, 7 abanus lineola was increasing in numbers at 
Paradise Key, but only a few adults of T. americanus were ob- 
served daily. March 8 and 9 showed an increase in numbers of 
7 . americanus and lineola. 
The first pronounced flight of T. americanus at dawn at Par- 
adise Key in 1919 occurred on March 10. On March 11 the 
flight had increased about three hundred per cent. 
The junior author had made plans to shoot with dust shot 
some of the lower hovering adults of T. americanus during 1919, 
but had to leave Paradise Key before the flight began. It was 
desired to determine whether the flight was composed entirely 
ot males and whether the flies occasionally hovered upside down. 
However, on March 11, H. S. Barber shot three adults with a 
22 caliber pistol, using dust shot. All these adults were hovering 
and were males. The weather was foggy and cloudy and rain 
was forecasted. Adults of Chrysops were common and T. lineola 
was daily increasing in numbers. 
On March 1 2 the flight of 7 abanus americanus at dawn was of 
increased volume. Barber shot two males on the wing, hovering. 
One adult of the nocturnal flying T. flavus was on the veranda 
screen during the day. 
March 13 was cold and there was no flight. On March 14 it 
was dark and cloudy at the usual time for the flight; there had 
been rain during the night. Nevertheless, there was a consider- 
