Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1876-03-24
Letter from Florida.

The Feathered Tribe-Job's Turkey
Gopher Snake, sc.
MANDARIN, Fla, Mar. II, 1876.
Mr.. EDITOR: On the 7th inst, Geo
Acosta, Gabe Hartley and myself start.
ed out in single file through the pine for
est, distance of about two and one hall
miles, to Julinton creek on a fishing ex.
cursion the creek is an arm Of the ST.
Johns River and is about II miles long
and is navigable nearly that distance,
Its banks are covered with shrubs and
timber excepting some settlements along
its shores where there may be seen small
openings, and portion of Adams de.
scendants are enjoying the balmy air OF
this sunny cline, and the Injuries of a
variety of fish and game which live in
and about this long arm of the river.
On its banks may be seen the lofty pines,
and the graceful oak covered with moss,
the ash, the hickory, the gum tree and
beautiful magnolia. Some of the mag
nolias are two feet or more in diameter,
with their large dark green and glossy
leaves, and in about one month from
this time, or little later, they will be
thickly spotted with their snow white
and very fragrant blossoms. Different
kinds of palmettoes grow spontaneously
along the shore and in the swamps ;
among them can be found the blue, the
cabbage and the Spanish bayonet pal
metto. You can occasionally see the
cabbage palmetto towering up to the
height Of twenty-five or thirty feet be-
fore you come to their graceful branches,
which to theseye of the stranger is a
beautiful sight. On the surface of the
water near the shores, and in some places
extending out into the creek distance
of forty or fifty rods, can be seen the
water lilies floating or lying on the wa
ter, their large leaves, which are called
by the natives bonnets, and are about as
large as the sun shades which the ladies
wear in the northern states, called log
cabins; the roots of these lilies are
from four to six inches in diameter and
in many places the alligators tear them
from the bed of the creek then they
rise to the surface and float with the bon.
nets, and when the sun shines very warm
the alligators crawl up onto these roots
and lay in the sun and sleep; by NOV
ing along very still in boat you can
get very near them before they will
awake.
Of the feathered tribe that seem to be
at home in and about the creek, can be
seen the wild land turkey, Jobs turkey
and what is called the water turkey,
much smaller than Jobs but in better
order; the blue and gray heron, the
crane, loon, coot, snipe and buzzard.
The wild land turkeys are large, fat and
nice, and are caught only by shooting
on their roosts, which are tall trees in
the swamps, in the evening; when they
are shot they "come down like thou
sand of brick to the ground. | have
often heard the expression used "poor
as Jobs turkey" but no one can fully
understand its meaning until they have
an opportunity to see the feathered skel-
etons for themselves, for it would be i'm
possible to get a satisfactory description
only by sight; they are very tall and
when they walk have the appearance of
peaking for something great distance
from them, as they stretch their long
necks out over the bonnets and lilly
roots. | will mention some of the DIFF
ferent kinds of fish that live in the dark
wine colored waters of this creek, which
are the cat, the gar and silver fish, pike,
pickerel, speckled and war-mouthed
perch, speckled and salmon trout. Tur-
ties, snakes and alligators claim and
maintain their homestead rights there.
We reached the north shore of the creek
about nine o'clock A. NJ, launched our
boat and used a spinner; we soon had a
strike and hauled in salmon trout of
about eight lbs. weight with anticipa-
lions of good luck, but the wind came
upon us with such fury that our expec-
tations in a measure persisted. How
ever we counted up at night the big
trout, and four silver fish, twenty-four
perch and gopher snake which we cap
tured, measuring in length six feet and
two and one-half inches, the handsomest
snake that ever saw, that is if there is
any beauty in snakes. / took the mon
ster home and kept him till Thursday
for people to look at and then buried
him for compost. The next l will send
when | write again.
j. W. LOCKWOOD.
Many Monroe county, N. Y, far