The herald., 1894-06-23
ALLIGATOR ISLANDS.
QUEER FLOATING HOMES OF AMI
MAILS, BIRDS AND REPTILES.

the "Bonnet Lakes"
Several years ago | passed the winter
studying birds and mammals near Gaines.
vile, Fla. Among my especial desiderata
were singular little round tailed musk
rat, known as neofber, which had previous
1y been found only on the Indian river and
= peculiar semiaquatic hare. A resident Of
the region suggested that these animals
might be found on the floating islands of
"Bevan's Arm" This 'Arm," branch of
Alachua lake, is what is known in Florida
As o bonnet lake" The name will be IA
miiar to any one who has visited Florida,
for bonnet lakes are abundant through
out the state. Imagine a lake so thickly
covered with growth of pond lilies that
the water shows only in occasional patches.
The lilies are both of the yellow and the
white variety, but the former are by far
the larger and more numerous. Some
leaves measure 10 inches in diameter, and
the stems CO many project nearly two feet
above the surface of the lake. The water is
sometimes Is or 20 feet in depth and in the
clearer spaces much deeper. 1t is filled
with many species of aquatic plants in
these, added to the abundance of lily leaves
or "bonnets," make rowing difficult and
tiresome matter.
In one of the open spaces near the center
of the Arm, which was here about half
mile in width, were the islands. There
were several of them, irregularly circular
in shape and varying in diameter from
about 10 to nearly so feet. They were dense
ly grown with reeds and grasses of many
species, and in some places tall, faglike
sedges and button baskets grew.
To naturalist floating islands possess a
strong fascination. The animals that in
habit them seem to belong to sphere of
their own. The isolation of their island
home affords them protection from main
land enemies, and this is doubtless why an
imals are so abundant on the islands in the
''Arm." Certain it is / have never seen a
bit of ground of similar extent so densely
populated.
Rowing slowly out through the "bon-
nets" ] was greeted by chorus of frog
like gruntings, which seemed to issue from
under every lily leaf. 1t was made by young
alligators. The Arm" was nursery for
them. They were of all sizes. from little
fellows 8 or inches in length, born the
preceding summer, to fully grown adults
measuring 10 feet or more The smaller
ones are found in schools, families per-
haps Occasionally, to SUN themselves,
they crawl upon lily leaves floating on the
surface of the water making as ideal pic
lures of lazy contentment as one can well
imagine The larger leaves will support
the weight OF an alligator feet in length
One of the larger islands was my daily
resort for nearly two weeks, and will con-
fine my account to tho history of this par
ticular island, speaking first of the life upon
it, then of its probable origin.
My landing was made and my boat "beach-
ed" in unique manner. The island was two
to three feet in thickness, and fioated in wa
ter from Is to 90 feet in depth. AS stepped
from my canoe onto it's edge it sunk slowly
beneath my weight, a.iu stepping back
ward I could thus draw the floating canoe
after me, but as ! advanced toward the
center of the island the shore rose, and the
canoe was lifted from the water by this
kind of natural drydock.
Progress now was very much like walk
ing on cracked or partially melted ice.
Where the g,gss grew thicl.ly there was a
firm footinas but the spaces between the
little hillocks were treacherously soft. To
fall through an island would no doubt bea
novel experience, but one that the expert
menter would doubtless never attempt
again.
Although none of the residents were wish
BILE, it required but glance to show that
this island was thickly populated.
Broad avenues entered and left the water.
There was network of roads, pathways
and trails leading to grassy nests well hid
den at the base of a hllock, or to under
ground tunnels with entrances half closed
with mud. Close inspection showed the
tracks of many feet AS l walked care
fully about this city-for it was nothing
less--I felt like a Brobdingnag in Lilli-
put. While the place was apparently de-
serted knew that the inhabitants were
all at home. With them il was night, and
my presence was doubtless causing many a
heart near me to beat with unaccustomed
rapidity.
Many species of birds occasionally used
the island as nesting place. There were
white herons and blue, bitterns, ducks and
others.
To return now to the history of these is
lands and the part alligators play in build
ing them. These gigantic lizards love to
lie in the soft mud at the bottom of lakes,
and they carefully select such places in
which to hibernate during the colder
months.
Now, if one could see "bonnet" lake
from which the water had disappeared, it
would be noticed that it's bottom is a net
work of interlacing lilypads. The roots
are as large as a mans arm, and it will
be readily seen how they would prevent a
large alligator from snugly Nesting in the
oozy mud. The alligator therefore, pre-
pares his bed by biting and pulling out
these roots, and they come floating to the
surface showing plainly the marks of his
teeth, to form the framework of a future
island.
Every stage of it's growth could be seen
In the "Arm." Numbers of these roots
float together and form kind of raft. A
scum collects about it, dust settles upon 1t,
and the whole soon looks like sheet of
mud which undulates with the waves. AS
At becomes firmer small plant, always of
the game species, makes it's appearance, en-
tirely covering the island, and growing SO
evenly that one iaight suppose its seed had
been carefully sowed by hand. Later stages
are now merely questions of time, but it is
probably only few years before the roots
torn from the bed of the lake by the alliga-
tor are firmly woven into compact mass
by the grasses and reeds which take posses
sion of it, and we have then an island quite
similar to the one have described.
This, it is true, is not pasture, but it
may become one at any time. Some day
strong wind will blow this island ashore
and then the roots in it's bottom will prove
living anchors, holding 1t 10 its mornings
and by and by the hNHti:;y island will he
come firm ground over which cattle may