Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-07-06
DISMAL SWAMP CURIOS.
Strange Thinss Found by n Govern-
mcnt Scientist in a Queer Region.

Strange ThfnEs Found by a Govern.
ment Scientist in n Queer Region.
Il have just returned from visit to the
Dismal Swamp" said DR.. A. K. Fisher.
ornithologist of the Department of Agri-
culture to a Star writer ut is strange
region, full Of oddities that are not to be
found elsewhere. The purpose of my ex-
pedition was to investigate the fauna of
the locality, and of rare mammals and
birds secured quite number. Snakes are
abundant and are alleged by the natives to
be venomous. but all that 1 saw were
harmless. When I picked up a good-sized
one from log and held him by the neck,
the negro who was padding for me shud-
dered SO that he nearly upset the boat.
II found about fifty species of birds
breeding in the swamp. One of them was
Swainsons warbler. which is very rare. 1
trapped several species of small mice-rice
mice, field mice. golden mice and lemming
mice. The lemming mouse Is hard to catch
because it will not take any sort of bait;
the only way to capture II is to set trap
in its runway. ! set my traps in dry places
out OF water. Among other things I got
two rare ShrewS.
There are plenty of cattle in the swamp
small, dark and very wild. They are the
progeny of animals that have strayed from
domestieated herds Hunters stalk and
shoot them like deer. Bears are numerous,
In the autumn they feed greedily on the
fruit of the sour gum. Wildcats, opos-
sums and raccoons are not scarce, while
squirrels are remarkably abundant The
squirrels have discovered an easy way to
get living, by going along the shores of
Lake DrummoNd and picking up the nuts
and berries which have fallen into the
water and drifted in windrows. They trot
along the logs and fish them out with their
paws. Deer are common, but hard TO get
In the fall hunters run them into the lake
and catch them with dogs.
G GSh IN,
mond, which contains plenty of perch black
bass, two kinds of p!ckerel. three species
of sunfish. and other panfish. There is no
dry ground in the swamp and one sinks
at every step to his knees in mud The
cane which forms brakes all through the
south is abundant. Together with varied
underground, it is tangled with vines that
run up into the trees, so that half a mile
an hour is a good rate of progress. One
must carry knife to cut the vines. walk
iug being further iInpeded by the cat-briar,
whose thorns catch in the clothing and
hold on like hooks.
THE boats used in the Dismal Swamp are
all dug-outs made from cypress logs,
twelve feet long and very narrow To
shape such craft properly is a nice piece
OF work. The novice who steps into one of
these boats is apt to go out on the other
side, but the native stands up and paddles
with security. The water is darker than
amber and excellent to drink; it is said to
be a cure for malaria There is no
malarial disease in the swamp. The swamp
is full of magnolas. from the size of bushes
to trees sixty feet high. When 1 was there
they were full of flowers. The cypress trees
are cut for shingles. The best trees for
the purpose are those which fell from
twenty-five to fifty years ago, and are now
covered with moss. The negroes wade in
and cut off the moss and rotten bark Then
they cut up the log into shingles on the
spot. The next best tree is one that is
newly fallen. and the third quality is the
tree that has to be felled
The Dismal Swamp is the most northern
or the great morass swamps. Lake Drum
mond in the center Of it, is four miles long
and of an oval shape. There is a very odd
fact about the Jericho Ditch. which ex-
tends for distance Of eleven miles from
the Nansemond river to the lake. From
the middle point of the ditch the water
runs both ways; there is current toward
Lake Drummond and another current in
the opposite direction toward the Nanse-
mond river"