The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-07-14
Zoe Marine Intelllgence Sc slxth Page.l
CURIOsITIEs OF DISMAL SWAMI.
Queer Things Found by n Governs
ment Scientist In That Strange Rec


giOn.
From the Washington Evening Star.
Il have just returned from a visit to the
Dismal swamp" said DR.. A. X. Fisher, or
nithologist of the department of agricu-
tuTe, to Star writer. 1T is a strange re-
gion, full of oddities that are not to be
found elsewhere. The purpose Of my ex-
petition was to investigate the fauna Of
the locality, and of rare mammals and
birds l secured quite a number. Snakes
are abundant and are alleged by the ma
tiyes to be venomous, but all that / saw
were harmless. When I picked up q good
sized one from log and held him by the
neck, the negro who was padding for
me shuddered so that he nearly upset the
boat.
Il found about fifty species of birds
breeding in the swamp. One of them was
Swainsons warbler, which is very rare.
I trapped several species of small mice
rice mice field mice, golden mice, and lem
ming mice. The lemming mouse Is hard
to catch because it will not take any sort
Of bait; the only way 70 capture it is to set
q trap in its runway. 1 set my traps in dry
places out of water. Among other things l
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
shoot them like deer. Bears are numerous
In the autumn they feed greedily on the
fruit of the sour gum. Wildcats, opossums,
and raccoons are not scarce, while squir-
rels are remarkably abundant. The squir-
rels have discovered an easy way to get
a 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.
There is fine fishing in Lake Drummond
which contains plenty of perch, black
bass, two kinds of pickerel, three species
Of sunfsh, and other panfsh. 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 a varied
underground, ii is tangled with vines that
run up into trees, so that half a mile an
hour is good rate of progress. One must
carry a knife to cut the vines, walking
being further impeded 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 WOfK. Inc novice VINO 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 dark
er than amber and excellent to drink; it Is
said to be sure cure for malaria. There
is no malariaI disease in the swamp. The
swamp is full of magnolias. from the size
of bushes to trees sixty feet high. When
/ 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 ne
groes 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 north
ern of the great morass swamps. Lako
Drummond, in the center of it, is four
miles long and of an oval shape. There
is very odd fact about the Jericho Ditch,
which extends for a 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 a cur
rent toward Lake Drummond and another
current in the opposite direction toward
the Nansemond river