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Terms, Five Dollars a Year. | 
fen Cents a Copy. f 
NEW YORK, THURSDAY, OCT. 23, 1873. i 
{ Volume I, Number 11, 
103 Fulton Street. 



For Forest and Stream. 
WONDERS OF -NATURAL HISTORY. 
pee eae 
WONDER why the savans call 
A mackerel saltator, 
Because a ’tator doesn’t swim, 
And salt is not its nature. 
I wonder if the great sea-snake 
Is but a sailor’s yarn, or 
Did he really shake his mane, 
Forenins’t that Maine mariner? 
I wonder what the devil fish 
Would say about the ‘‘ picter,”’ 
If he could read the wondrous tale 
Of fascinating Victor. 
Is it a lie that nautili 
Have sails and oars and tillers ? 
Do phenixes exist ? And are 
: Or are there not gorillas ? 
I wonder if we all came down 
From some superior monkey; 
Or if the sage philosopher 
Is but a Dar(wi)n’d donkey. 
Will man develop further yet, 
And learn to live on water 
Teetotally, and learn to catch his fish > 
Like any seal or otter ? 
Will some one tell me all about 
The vampire and the emu ? 
And is there any link between 
The cat-fish and the s2a-mew? 
I wonder much if Reade is right 
About that whale of Behring, 
Which swam a thousand miles a day, 
And wore a harpoon ear-ring. 
I wonder if an author grave 
Can ever make a blunder; 
I know that all I read is true, 
And yet, and yet I wonder ! 
Che Jlaturalist in Florida. 
Tisasingular fact that for apart of the year at least 
three-fourths of Florida is under water. After such an 
introduction my readers will perhaps think that I have 
chosen a very inattractive subject, tor they can scarcely 
see what there is that can possibly be interesting in swamps, 
even though they are vast, and teeming with an exuberant 
growth of vegetation, or in sluggish rivers, if they do 
abound in all classes of animal life. 
HadI nothing to write about, however, excepting the 
submerged sections, I trust I could find something even 
there which would interest and perhaps instruct my readers. 
But it must be remembered that the State of which I am 
speaking contains nearly as much land as is occupied by 
New England, and that notwithstanding three-fourths of it 
is under water the number of square miles which are never 
flooded considerably exceed the area of Massachusetts. 
This country has also considerable value, and the United 
States was aware of this fact, for in 1819 $15,000,000 were 
paid to Spain for relinquishing her claims. Although the 
Government has doubtless committed many errors, this pur- 
chase cannot be considered as one of them. For, aside from 
the question of the protection afforded to our southern bor- 
ders, this peninsula is certainly a desirable acquisition to 
the Union. 
The water which covers so much of Florida is both detri- 
mental and beneficial to the inhabitants. Much arable land 
. igs rendered worthless from this cause, but it is by means of 
the numerous rivers and bayous that the settlers gain ready 
access to the interior. The St. Johns is the largest river in 
the the State, and forms the principle thoroughfare to the 
numerous little towns which are situated on its banks. 
As the region througa which this river hows contains as 
many inhabitants as any other portion of the State, I will 
endeavor to convey some idea of this section by describing 
wht I have seen while making several trips up this stream. 
I say up, but as the St. Johns rises nearly two hundred 
miles south of its outlet, this term will perhaps give an er- 
J. J. Rocwz. 


roneous idea, for this is the only river in the United States 
that flows directly north, and as the peninsula lies north 
and south, this stream runs parallel with the coast as far as 
Jacksonville; then turning directly eart flows into the At- 
lantic ocean, within twenty-five miles of the northern 
boundary of the State, thus traversing in its course nearly 
two thirds of the entire length of Florida. 
Jacksonvi le is the largess city in the State, and although 
of recent growth compared with other towns, contains about 
10,000 inhabitants, and is the centre of trade. Several 
lines of small river steamers form the means of communi- 
cation with the interior. 
I found myself on one of these little steamers early one 
December morning, gliding over the sun-lit waters. The 
river for about a hundred miles is very wide, being a suc- 
cession of lakes, on which account the Indians named the 
stream ‘‘ Welaka,” which in their language signifies the 
river of lakes. These lakes vary from two to ten miles in 
width, and as the boat kept in the middle, we could see but 
little of the shores, excepting when we called at various 
towns. 
The small size of these villages surprised me much, for I 
had long been familiar with their names on the maps, and 
although some of them have been settled for about three 
hundred years, at the time of my first visit, in 1868, they 
contained but three or four houses. 
Of course, in vuhe days when the Spaniards occupied 
Florida these places were much larger, being important 
military posts, and formed the homes of many inhabitants. 
They have deteriorated much since, but are now growing 
slowly; how slowly may be seen by the fact that after an 
absence of four years I again visited this section and found 
that some villages had added only one or two houses to 
their number, while others remained as I had previously 
seen them. 
I have used the terr houses in speaking of the inhabited 
structures along the upper St. Johns, but shanties would 
perhaps convey a better idea of their appearance. It will 
be a source of much wonder why the steamers touched at 
such places, but it must be understood that they are with a 
few exceptions representatives of the towns in East Flor- 
ida, and contained post-offices. Westopped then to leave 
the mail, and frequently to take on wood, er occasionally 
found a passenger waiting. And odd passengers they 
were too, many of them genuine Florida ‘‘crackers.” 
At awooding up station where there was but one dwell- 
ing, a queer looking specimen of humanity came on board 
in the shape of a long, lank individual, clad in homespun. 
In one hand he carried an old-fashioned rifle, and with 
the other led a fine looking horse, upon which was strapped 
a large saddle, with a saddle bag and an ax handle hanging 
on either side. 
This singular being had a powder horn suspended from 
his brawny neck, and his matted black hair hung down 
to his shoulders, while his unkempt beard reached nearly 
to his waist. A pair of sinister eyes looked out from under 
the shaggy brows, which were shaded by a slouched hat. 
He was evidently a hunter by profession. 
At one of these stopping places we dropped a little dried 
up man, whose countenance indicated an uncertain age. 
He might have been twenty or even fifty, for he was evi- 
dently one of the Rip Van Winkle type of men who can 
lie down and sleep an age or two in the wilderness without 
trouble. From this sleep they will arise half awake, and again 
plod through the world, no more or less musty-looking or 
dried up than before. Such men, even while in infancy, have 
scarcely enough flesh to cover their bones. As they grow 
older this little expands, until a certain age, when it hard- 
ens; then old Time may shake his glass over their heads 
without producing the slightest effect, or hack at them with 
his rusty scythe in vain—they look not an hour older. 
Such was the bodily appearance of the man whom we 
dropped at this place. He was clad in a very dirty suit of 
homespun cotton cloth, while a satchel of the same materia] 
hung at hisside. His not very prepossessing face was shaded 
by an old palmetto hat, from beneath which his long flaxen 
hair hung in tangled skeins. His stockingless feet, thrus 
into a pair of broadsoled shoes, proclaimed him a cracker 
of the lowest class. 
The steamers move slowly against the current, so that in 
twenty-four hours we had accomplished but 100 miles of 
our journey, and on the followiug morning we were cross- 
ing Lake George. This isa very large expanse of water, 
about ten miles in diameter. At the southern extremity the 
viver suddenly narrows, so that it is but a few rods across, 
Here the scenery changes entirely. The stately live-oaks 
and pines of the more northern St. Johns give place 
to the tropical-looking palmetto and the graceful-foliaged 
sweet bay. 
Vegetation is also much more advanced, and as the 
steamer almost brushed against the luxuriant foliage, we 
could catch the odors of thousands of flowering shrubs 
growing in the dense forest which lay on either side. It 
was indeed a scene of surpassing loveliness, to which I 
can scarcely do justice. One must stand, asI stood that 
morning, with every sense rapt in profound admiration of 
the beautiful panorama that was passing before the eyes, 
and with the south wind, laden with those delightfui odors, 
blowing gently across the face, to thoroughly appreciate it. 
For every turn of the now winding river disclosed new 
beauties for enjoyment. 
At first the brain is confused with the multiplicity of ob- 
jects that are presented to the gaze. Gradually, however, 
the eye becomes aceustomed to the mass of green, and 
selects objects of greater interest from the whole. From 
the exuberant growth of creepers and shrubs which line 
the water’s edge, the attention is drawn to the gray, straight 
trunks of the palmettos, with their stiff, fan-like fronds. 
The dark green of these is relieved by the paler foliage of 
the sweet gum, while high over all hang the giant branches: 
of the lofty black walnuts drooped with festoons of Span- 
ish moss. Large bunches of the emblematic mistletoe are 
brought out in strongrelief against the blue sky, with their 
bright green colors heightened by their more sombre sur- 
roundings. 
An occasional group of the gloomy cypress might be 
seen among this sea of living green, raising their dark trunks 
covered with leafless branches from the swampy ground. 
As we passed onward our attention was attracted by nu- 
merous orange groves, which were growing upon shell 
mounds, with the golden fruit relieved by the dark green 
and shining leaves. This scene was renderec intensely in- 
teresting by the multitude of birds which swarmed on all 
sides. Numerous ducks and gallinules swam among thc 
aquatic plants on the river’s margin. At one point we saw 
a group of red and black-headed vultures fecding upon the 
carcass of some animal. Large numbers of wood ducks 
started up everywhere, flying but a short distance, then 
tamely settling down again. 
Among all this apparently peaceful life the great law of 
nature, which ordains that her subjects shall live by prey- 
ing upon oneanother, wasin full force. At every few rods 
along the river was perched a hawk. They sat silent and 
apathetic, but were only waiting for the coots and ducks 
| to finish their morning meal of aquatic life before seizing 
the plumpest of them “or breakfast. 
High overhead the osprey was sailing with motionless 
wings, in huge circles, gazing with eager eyes upon the 
fishes below. The ever-watchful bald eagle was perched 
upon the lofty black walnuts or cypresses, intent upon the 
motions of the fish hawk. 
This magnificent scenery, in which is mingled so much 
of life and animation, must attract the attention and call 
forth the admiration of the most casual observer. What, 
then, must be thesensations of the earnest student of na- 
ture? Words fail to express the intense ecstacy that he 
feels as object after object presents itself to his bewildered 
gaze. The brain is completely overwhelmed, and can 
simply grasp the mingled mass as it is seen, and in calmer 
moments atrange each in its proper place. 
The sun had now reached a considerable height, and was 
shining hotly on the water. The captain of the steamer in- 
formed us that we might as well be on the look-out for al- 
ligators. About adozen among the passengers produced 
