The Portland daily press., 1894-08-07

the stems of 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
which ones oars become entangled, and
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, flaglike
sedges and button baskets grew.
To a 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 80 denssly
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. Itwas made by young
alligators. The Arm" was nursery for
them. They were of all sizes. from little
fellows 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 I will con-
fine my account to the 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 foated in wa
ter from Is to 20 feet in depth. AS stepped
from my canoe onto its edge it sunk slowly
beneath my weight, and stepping back
ward | could thus draw the floating canoe
after me, but as l 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 grass grew thickly there was
firm footing, but the spaces between the
little hillocks were treacherously soft. To
fall through an island would no doubt be a
novel experience, but one that the expert
menter would doubtless never attempt
again.
Although none of the residents were visi-
bic, 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 hillock, or to under
ground tunnels with entrances half closed
with mud. Close inspection showed the
tracks of many feet. AS I 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 it 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 thepart 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 "bonnetn lake
from which the water had disappeared, it
would be noticed that it's bottom is net.
work of interlacing ilypads. 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 future
island.
Every stage of it's growth could be seen
in the ''Arm." Numbers of these roots
float together and form a kind of raft A
scum collects about it. dust settles upon it,
and the whole soon looks like sheet of
mud which undulates with the waves. AS
it becomes firmer small plant, always of
WIG Seilnc SpcClcS, uldhCo Tvs dppCebIouCc, cu-
tirely covering the island, and growing so
evenly that one might 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 1t
may become one at any time. Some day
strong wind will blow this island ashore,
and then the roots in its bottom will prove
living anchors, holding it to it's mornings,
and by and by the floating island will be
come firm ground over which cattle may
Craze. AS island after island is blown
against this one, the ''arm" recedes, the
shore becomes dryer, and ere long it will b.
firm enough to support the cattle, which
are attracted by its luxuriant growth Of
prasses Frank M CHAPMAN in Qur Ans