The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1910-01-20
Letter from Florida.
A Glowing Description of the Land Of
Birds and Flowers.

ACIICl II OAAA WI
A Glowing Description of the Land Of
Birds and Flowers.
To THE EDITOR OF THE JOURNAL: The
following extracts are from personal
letter from Miss Mae Donahoe, who is
spending the winter in Florida. AS Miss
Donahoe is popular teacher in Stockton
Springs, and we'll known in that vicinity,
her many friends there will be pleased to
hear from her. S. J. S.
ORANGE POINT, GEORGETOWN, FLA,
December n, 1909.
My Dear Friend: AS you requested l
will now try to tell you about some Of the
beauties of Florida. Golden-w winged flick
ers everywhere here are weaving patterns
of enchantment, quivering vital patterns
of burning beauty. l often stroll down
the narrow, branching paths that lead to
inner mysteries, through light running
in and out, peering between the divided
leaves of plants; gliding over the slippery
edges of the palm branches; trembling
airily where the papyrus bends its an
tique he'd; dancing among the big blades
of sturdy grass that sprouts in tufts here
and there, resting languidly upon the
glistening magnolias that are besieged
by somnolent bees.
All the greens and all the colds of
creation are surely met together in this
profound retreat, to prove the perfect
harmony of earth with sun. 1t is de-
lightful to sit on the old grey wall near
the shore in the cool of the day in the
incoming breeze from the beautiful and
placid Lake George The sun goes down
red and flaming behind the dark shadows
of the palms which one can see off in the
distance. Then the silence of the stars
comes over the green land and purple
water. The surf rises and foams against
the shore and wall necessarily; ships pass
and sails careen by.
The colored people come down to the
shore in the cool, and as you sit there
dreaming and drinking in all this beauty
it seems that the past, the future and
the present are all centered here, making
it one of the loveliest places of the world.
There are many beautiful trees here, a
lew OF which are several varieties of
palms. acacia, gums, fig trees, chest
nuts, poplars, false pepper trees, ba-
nanas, bamboos, yuccas, many mimosas
and quantities of the tall eucalyptus
trees. Tickets of scarlet geraniums,
with the hibiscus lifting languidly it's
trail and rosy cup, and the red, gold
oranges CLEAN amid leaves that look as
It they had been polished by an attentive
fairy. Under the trees the sand is white,
OF shade so luxuriously beautiful that
you long to touch it with your bare feet
After strolling for hours amid these rare
and beautiful trees you pause to rest
Then your eyes rest on countless ming
ling shades of the delicious colors. Rough
furry green Of geranium leaves; silver
green olives; black green OF distant palms
from which the sun holds aloof; faded
green of the eucalyptus; rich, emerald
| green OF fan-shaped, sunllt palms; hot,
sultry, green bamboos; dull, drowsv
green of mulberry trees, and brooling
chestnuts. 1t is a choir of colors in one,
like choir of boys with treble voices
singing to the sun.
I And now word about the birds. There
are many species of birds here which
never lnhabit the north. Time will allow
me to make mention of only one, and this
one IN particular has Interested me more
deeply than all the others. The quetzal,
or quesal, the paradise trogon is one of
the most beautiful birds. To witness
the flight of one of these birds in the sun
through Florida forest is ar event
rarely experienced. The paradise tro-
CONS that ] have seen in collections give
but suggestion of the marvellous spen-
dor Of the live bird as he drifts through
the forests, especially when its flight is in
rift of sunlight, amid the long. glim-
mering shadows of the orange and palm
trees. 1t is a lazy bird It sits in bow
ers of blooms among the odorous plants,
and seems to be dreaming Says lover
of birds OF rare plumage: ut is too law
to turn its head; it seems to be thinking,
thinking, but of what no man knows
/ would give anything to know what
these superb trogons are always think
ing about. The bird has a fussv look
about the head, as though its meditations
had been anything but congenial. 1t has
the appearance of pessimist with all it's
optlmlst plumes. He is kind of rain
bow IN the cloud, He wears mantel of
golden green, living mantel with the
iustre OF gems. Under this mantel burns
a waist OF carmine red. His eye is brown,
MS peak yellow, and from his little body
sweeps tail like trail of roval Great
ure of nature, white and green. The
feathers of this brilliant tail are quite
long. | wonder that they can ever be
borne in the air by this animated beauty
of the silent forest. He seems not to
talk much with all of his thinking, but
what he says is like the voice Of the
temple OF Memmon. He speaks low,
lovingly and melodiously. Then his voice
swells and drifts on the warm, fragrant
air Of his lazy habitude. He is a very
rare bird, and certainly a bird of mystery.
My letter is getting very lengthy, and
l must not monopolize any more Of your
precious time, but before l end let me
say word about the lake. Very often
we go for motor-boat ride, and we who
are the travellers love to look down into
the plain OF clear waters. The dolphins
are there moving about in happy com
partnership in pairs. The flying fish rise
up like birds, and perhaps one or more
fall unhappily upon the bow of our boat.
Here in world of fishes and birds floats
the hyaclnth (Florida seaweed) glisten-
there at night, deem down into HE