The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-10-18
THE MYSTERY PART OF FLORIDA,
Weird Sights and Sounds Greet All
Who Penetrate the Jungle

Weird Sights and Sounds Greet All
Who Penetrate the Jungle.
From the New Orleans Times-Democrat.
The southern extremity of the peninsula
of Florida is one huge marsh of forest
mud and jungle, known as the Ever
glades The swamp proper has an area
of about 5000 square miles, which is drain
ed by Lake Okechobee, and it covered
nearly the entire counties of Dade and
Monroe and a portion of Manatee. The
geological substructure must be coral, as
nearly the entire state is built upon such
foundation; but above this the miry boys
of ooze and water of unknown depths for
bid investigation and exploration, and in
consequence there are regions in the in
terror no human foot has yet trod and la
goons that no human eye has ever seen.
The general composition is a wilderness
OF tangie growth, immense regions of mo-
rass, dense stubble of cane and scrub pal
metto, and a tropical paradise of sweet
shrubs, beautiful flowers and delicate
ferns. The swamp is overlooking with
animal, reptile and bird life which here
IND little to disturb them, save the ever
lasting quarrels among themselves, which
often end in their own destruction.
Strange cries are sometimes heard COM
ing from the depths of this inaccessible
domain, and fierce lashings of the water,
accompanied by savage bellowings and
screams from birds in midair bear testi-
mony to some sanguinary conflict between
huge saurians or other brutes of the jun
gle.
1t is possible that creatures of a former
age may yet exist within the sealed pre-
ssxrra fN,- 1o-
since the jaws of mastodon were ex-
humed not far from the shores of Lake
Okechobee and bones resembling the
skeleton of giant tapir were found by
some Seminole Indians quite recently on
the bank of the Kissimee river.
OF animals we know of the swamp con-
ceals the largest alligators and rattles-
snakes on the continent, besides bears, wild
cats, deer, wild hogs, catamounts, lizards,
chameleons, turtles, gophers, turkeys,
quail, many kinds Of fish and every species
of water fowl known to the tropical re-
gions of the United States.
The largest alligator ever captured, of
which any record remains, was taken in
the Everglades nine years ago by an old
hunter named Hickman. 1t measured %
feet inches from end of nose to tip of
tail, and weighed much more than full
grown OK. The writer has killed rattle
snakes in different parts of the swamp
ranging from six to nine feet, and saw the
skin of one, owned by a Seminole Indian,
that must have been u feet long in life.
The biggest frogs on earth find home
in the Everglades, and it is not uncommon
to rGn across Jumbos of the family weigh
ing anywhere from to 10 pounds.
The Everglades is the true home of the
ivory billed woodpecker, bird that is al
most a rarity to naturalists and mu-
seums. 1t can be easily located by the
call. which sounds very much like the cry
of a hurt child.
The Indians have great respect for the
bird on account of it's powerful beak, which
is used as a mechanical tool or weapon
os attack, as occasion may require. The
SeminCles like our western Indians, must
wear a charm of some kind, and the
beautiful ivory bill, polished and pierced,
answers for them the same symbol as elk
teeth do for our western tribes.
Perhaps the most interesting Of all
feathered creatures found in this great
waste of nature are the family of hum
ming birds, which the Seninoles very sug-
gestively call ''sun birds" Scarcely a rose
bush may be passed but what some little
family of aerial diamonds can be observed
balancing on the extremlties of slender
plants, and bits of downy cotton scattered
here and there among the roses afford the
only universe these beautiful creatures re-
quire.
The black bear is quite well-known in
habitant of the Everglades and while he
is, in this section, neither as large nor as
fierce or strong as his cousin of other lat
itudes, yet he surpasses all others OF his
kind in keen shrewdness, ingenuity and
innate rascality when a meal is the OBJ
ject sought for
Notwithstanding the vast stores of honey
easily obtainable, and which can be gain
ed with scarcely an effort, bruin prefers to
turn Nimrod, and actually hunts his food
with a skill and an apparent enjoyment
that at once stamps him as one of natures
sportsmen, if such a term may be used
Perhaps he is rambling through the for
est to some private haunt, when suddenly
he stops, shifts the air, and is all ears.
The grunting of wild pigs or the gobble OF
a turkey catches his attention, whereupon
he quietly stretches his huge black body
on the ground, and, resting his head on
his paws like dog, lies perfectly still
and awaits developments.
Pretty soon the unconscious turkey
comes along, pecking industriously at the
shrubs on either side, or the porkers hols-
lily approach their little slanting eyes too
busily engaged in searching for toothsome
morsels to notice the dark, shaggy mass
hidden by dry leaves, when all of sud
den there is mighty rush, a tremendous
swpe of the paw aud the dinner Is secure.
The black bear Of the Everglades IN his
native wilds may possibly hunt his prey
in another fash,on-by batting, as case
in point here at Fort Myers will aptly
Illustrate The big fellow in question is
prisoner confined to a post by long
chain and, although he has plenty Of
food at all times, and generously sup
piled, he seems TO prefer TO gain his
daily allowance by less honorable means,
whenever occasion offers.
The device he practices IS to scatter his
food about him as a bait and then to lie
down and pretend to be asleep. When
the poultry or domestic pigs feed up
within reach Of his deadly stroke, the
watchful gourmand quickly swings his
paw. and dead pig or a dead rooster
is the result
The proper time for a white man to
visit the available portions OF this great
swamp is IN midwinter. and even then
myriads Of huge. black mosquitoes assail