Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1895-09-13
DISMAL SW AMP.
A STRANGE REGION FULL OF ODD
ITIES NOT FOUND ELSEWHERE.

TIES NOT FOUND ELSEWHERE.
II have Just returned from a
visit to the Dismal swamp said
DR.. A. K. Fisher, ornlthologlst
of the departms mt of agriculture,
to a Washington Star writer.
1t is a strange region, full OF
oddities that are not 10 be found
elsewhere. The purpose of my
expedition was to investigate the
fauna of the locality, and of rare
mammals and birds, l secured
quite a number. Snakes ale
abundant, and are alleged by the
natives to be venonous, but all
that I saw were harmless. When
| picked up a good-sized one
from log and held him by the
neck, the negro who was pad
ding for me shuddered SO that
he nearly upset the boat.
81 found about fifty species of
birds breeding in the swamp.
One of them is Swainson.s warb
Ter, which is very rare. l trap
ped several species of small mice
rice mice, field mice, golden
mice and lenming mice. The
le1nming mouse is hard to catch,
because it will not take any sort
of bait. The only way to cap
ture it is to set trap i'll its run
way. l set my traps ii dry places
out of water. Among other
things I got two rare shrews.
"There are plenty of cattle III
the swamp-slnall, dark, and
very wild. They are the prog
cny of animals that have strayed
from domesticated herds. Hun
ters stalk and shoot them like
deer. Bears are numerous. III
the autumn they feed greedily OF
the fruit of the sour gum. W1lc
cats, opossums and raccoons are
not scarce, while squirrels are re
narkably abundant. The SPUR
re1s have discovered all easy way
to get a living, by going along
the shore of Lake Drunmonc
and picking up the nuts an(
berries which have fallen into
the water and drifted in win
droWs. They trot along the log
and fish them out with thei
paws. Deer are common, blu
hard to get. The fall hunter
run them into the lake and catcl
them with dogs.
"There is fine fishing i'll Lake
Drummonds, which contains
plenty of perch, black bass, two
kinds of pickerel, three species O
Of sunhsh, and other parrish
There is no dry ground i'll thu
swamp, and one sinks at every
step to his knees in mud. Thu
cane which forms brakes al
through the South is abundant
Together with a varied under
growth, it is entangled will
vines that run up into the trees
50 that half a mile an hour is ;
good rate of progress. One mus
carry a knife to cut the vines
walking being further impedee
by the cat>brier, whose thorn
catch in the clothing and holt
on like hooks.
THE boats used in the Disna
Swamp are all dugouts, made
from cypress logs twelve fee
long and very narrow. To shape
such a craft properly is nice
piece of work. The novice who
steps into one of these boats i:
apt to go out OH the other side
but the native stands up and pad
dies with security. The water i:
darker than amber and exCellen
to drink; it is said to be a sure
cure for malaria. There are ne
nalarial diseases i'll the swamp
The swamp is full of magnolia:
from the size Of bushes to tree:
sixty-feet high. When | wa:
there they were full of flowers
The cypress trees are cut 70,
shingles. The best trees for the
purpose are those which fel
from twenty-five to fifty year:
ago, and are now covered will
moss. The negroes wade i'll anc
cut off the moss and rotten bark
Then they cut up the log into
shingles on the, spot. The mex
best tree is one that has newly
fallen. and the third quality is the
tree that has to be felled. -
Memphis Seminar.