Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1892-02-09
A WEIRD FLORIDA FOREST.
Hundreds of Miles of swamp Land
Astounding with Trees and Animals.

Astounding with Trees and Animals.
One of the widest and weir1est regions
thus far discovered in Florida is the lake
known as the Jane Green swamp, or Saw
grass lake, which has an area of at least
300 square miles and contains the finest
body of cypress trees on this planet.
This is genuine sportsmens paradise,
wild animals being numerous and so fear
less through their unacquaintance with
| man that "A hunter has actually to kick
some of them out of his way before they
will move
Parokeets scream on almost every bough
and move in dense flocks, like our common
blackbirds; flamingoes, ibises, roseate
spoonbills, pelicans and other aquatic and
wading birds haunt the margins of the
lake at all times, and raccoons and oppos-
sums, bay lynXes, offers, foxes and marsh
hares are abundant enough to arouse the
avarlce of even an amateur trapper.
Deer, bears ard pnmas are numerous on
the uplands and turkeys haunt the CON
tiSHous forests where mast is abundant
Snakes are also unusually common. every
water hole and clump of bushes seeming
10 have its own colony. One is likely 10
see over q hundred within an hour or two.
anu probably three times that number in
a day. The most numerous species are the
water and upland moccasins, but rattle
snakes are also very abundant, and king,
whip. chicken and black snakes are fire.
quently encountered. When the ophidians
are thick they cxhale a sickening odor.
which produces vomiting in some persons,
this being particularly true OF rattlesnakes
and mocassins.
The lake has lost much Of its water ow-
ing to extremely warm weather and a
scarcity of rain, and this forced the fish to
seek refuge in shallow pools where they
furnished "A feast to owls. buzzards, 'coors
and 'pOssums, snakes and saurians. Thou
sands of fish could be seen fiuttering about
in the last stages of exhaustion, while
thousands more lay putrefying on the mar
gins of the lake or Were being devoured by
foxes, 'coons or 'pOssums.
The latter creatures had probably never
seen man until they met Judge Harri-
sons party. and they were soindifferenr %
the hunters of this expedition that they
scarcely deigned to glance at them as they
passed by.
All animals in the region displayed the
same fearlessness the deer merely scruti-
nizing them with fatuous curiosity. the
bears snuf1ing the air, as if trying to decide
TO what class of creatures they belonged,
and the hugcst alligators in Florida pay
ing 10 attention to their presence.
The conelike nests of the saurians are one
OF the most marked features OF the land
scape, rs they are extraordinarily abundant
and seem To have been in existence for
many years. Young reptiles are, as IA con-
sequence, very common, and rs they are
always ready for Il fight, a person must be
careful not to approach them too closely.
The wild hogs 50 common on the gulf
coast Of Florida have not yet migrated as
far toward the interior Is siawgraSS lake,
bat some hunters hope they may soon find
their way toward it in order TO destroy the
numerous snakes that make its borders a
scene Of horror.
Mosquitoes fly in swarms there during
the rainy season. and are so persistent in
their attacks that explorers are compelled
10 make their bed between two or more
fires If they would get any sleep. These
winged plaques, like the snakes and sau-
rianS. are III a state of Information during
the winter and do not appear in seriously
annoying numbers until May or June
SPoTtSmcn can therefore safely visit this
region between December ard Npril and
revel in such venatic adventures as they
never thought of in their widest dreams.
They must take guides with them or they
are likely to wander for days among the
broad savannas, which seem to be Il vast,
monGtonous level OF grass and water or a
jungle Of cypress. Cor. Washington Star