, 1876-12-04
NATUilAL.MISTORY NOTES.
A Cruise Around Cape Sable, Flor.
ida.
The Expedition Sent Out by the Chicago
Academy Of Sciences, in 1875.


"'lea distant, ana III Florida Bay Valuaelc
specimens OF shells were obtained around the
Mud Fats,-tho prevailing form being
,,-, .,.. rAscloLAatA oloAsrsA,
Whlen atta'h length ol 1"o leet III many III
stances.
During the night severe blow, or "north-
err" came on; but, anchored behind the island,
a. 49,. ous Nv. '"ouS" wv sa.','. sa"
NJ 70 put ont another anchor a. nan'ght,
to keep tho vessel from dragging, think that
could, on TINT occasion, realize something OF
scon. h,,1 ,e.,,nr ,ortc.,,v ~. Al, ~ ,s s,s
sea- p"t, leon"s peFteet'y sale' a'4 OF Us en-
)"yea It rasller Ina" Otherwise
The following dny was usllcrcd In clear and
saye Tint a prnt,o breczc ramc IN from tho 11mlf
ons" Nv, .A. Ae",o es'e ~ 4'o"' 'c u"t''
sniceht 10 ihoacsatc Tue herce neat Oh tue sllf'.
The thermometer indicated 30 degrees above;
but, with our st1n,ncr-clotfng OIL, We felt quite
Comfortable In spitc Of tic iact Tint our ratcr.
oo.,,. vn1or IN stf,,,s ~ 1at ,uoatho, ,,a, ~.
casas' unaer t"e enects o1 hot wca.hce' Hau oc-
gun 10 tieVelop too maeh animal lsle' LOW VIC
wished wished for FL pure w, Ink, Michigan watsr Since
wa haII brcn cpn0np,1 Il, ra,n-wntcr.-th,s bring
ti,r r,,rrrnt ,1TImt in lint intitl,ic whnrc tScr
IRE IRE no wells. 80 '' ''''''>' 'N~'' '"~'0
:, ,.n,1 ~, ,,,,, TIE r., "sa,ss," ,,,, ,, H.,
.,ro saa.1 tS r resn"ct;vn a tn s,,c a
extent that even Mississippi sluuil, With its lax.
Having completed Our Investigations ut sau;1y
Key. We sailed a6o,,t nou,, fnr thc Gauc. % ria
galant little % Rosebud % @ Seemed Cd to as sasp % IN tls
SSs9 M s Tayss s5sga a r. 9ss s s sase R6@ss @ L
Hoar, Now au.l then our sttontioi, i was arrest
ed by the eirlt OF soue marine wondcr-ioat-
Ing scawccti {!Sargasso 6acci1era) or Portuguese
Mca-of- War (PhTsail1): aud, as We apprnacilcI
@ noins, % group 81 Royal patnsn re- reaTins @ ttsf
stately Reads and luxliriant fOIaee skywartl.-
looking in tho distance like giant sentinels as
iuuiee,l they are to tho mariner OF these waters.
vss aw O. s aa 19gss, as,y 9w e ef eaS Sa % IL s
fcstroyinE thcul, Before US lay tho capc. Noxt
tic shore was q narrow strip Of cleared or clear
land, Back OF this was
4 yAsr wt1nrnyrss
of tronfcnl md scn,f.trt,1,icnl yrvntntton. min,
llabitcd save by the saYuEe Scmtt1olo and wild
anIlnals It looked weird and enchanting, /
Thought OF II Rasselas II aud !. Tho Happy Val
Iey,nanil n Imagined that here was Just the plaso
animate md inanlmato world, p!ensing to tjlo
nat,roIIst. As va ca,ne to arrl,{,r. 10 sow
about thirty sharks anil other mnriue monsters
quietly goGSllng their daily meal Of 'nullets
tivriy uneoycrnahle In cnthusiassm. Sn. f1trcct-
Ing tIc sailors to lower the Udinyy,. or smalI
boat, away hc went, armed with Earpoous al,l
lines. in ntlrs1t. with welI-fItrcrtrd aim Tim
Iiaruoon was driven into tho BODY of the huEe
nuitT,aI. I'nrnIyzed fnr Il mnmcnt. the next VIZ
messed porpoiso md boat travelling OF with tro-
,nendous speed seaward. Occasionally
course. additional lino yas let out.
Hnt. hcinr an nir-brcathinr nnl,nai.
hc soon catne IN to till.in fresh supply ct mir.
x second harpoon was launrhed Into 6s side,
times he was towel near enough tI,e boat so as
to lit him with an Ak; but suc}, was his touartty
TINT he contin,ed to swim. rushIng frat ont t6
wnrtts the open sea and then rctu1ning to land.
TIM chase knl no,y occ1rnted two ani liaif
hours. an1 was quite cxcItinp. in rcsnonso to
Vclics siguai, sont oil Bill, tho cook, In an
other .udingy,h With rlfic, Alter fcr tloscs
OF lead, thy monster lost blood raptdly: but not
ptp ne a1yE Or,
The chase Ind oc :lp!cl oycr two hours. during
wIjcil he must have traycracd twelve or fftceti
mIlca, As the end epproachctl, he SWIM in
eaa was obe to yeld on ScE aea. ane
urcI, he was I found 10 bo ~ over r. n!no % feos sI ia
inngth md six in .irculn nfcrcnce ncar tha tIorsai
f5,,, Tbo operation Of Getting tho hide was sl,c-
c It aaorns tho Museum cum Of The Ndn Neadciny, e along
with sharks, sa,Y-is!,, md other results Of tic
expsflItjon. '' O'N' - '"s
Ti'ho land On the side Of Florida Bay lies qus.c
ss
shriia brought ber, hv lin ariinn ~ ~" tiIS
and waves. BENEATH tbis vcry - rcrent tormstin,, Ian
is substrat,,m Of extinct cofal reefs,
;ntrrcsf annn@ nthcrs tSc remajn2 o vt III n
fnet'~n rrIir n ti'r Scminoin Var RI. ,,ors
and ,uua wero ath NJ ar, nrcn,inr IN tia sc,mi,
tropicai airerion. Hero md ihere wsrs
Wa ta cwo of ta bas G B'
~ i16s, 6.Sm ~ t,tton1.s, 80. ."o nn ns