The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1912-06-30

Your suggestion that l give you the
story Of my recent trip to Florida Is
an invitation to live over again ten
rare days Of sport and good living, ten
days so filed with all that makes a
winter outing delightful that the only
difficult part Of the telling will be to
stop.
To sum it briefly: Game was plen-
tiful, the weather perfect. dogs in fine
condition and Mr.. Lawrence Bird my
host. The rest is merely a matter Of
detail
Our camp for the first week was a
rough but comfortable two-room house,
tucked away in a cluster Of splendid
water oaks on the slope Of a low hill,
and overlooking the stored and beau
tiful Long Moss Spring. This Is The
Birds Nest" as fine q winter camp as
a sportsman's heart could wish.
1 confess to a degree of enthusiasm
upon the subject Of The Birds Nest"
and my visit there, and 1 fully realize
that ! must keep close watch upon
myself to avoid the excessive use Of
superlatives In telling Of my trip; the
following description Of the Nest" and
it's surroundings will, however, justify
my enthusiasm to any lover OF field
and stream sports OF lover Of the
beautiful or unusual in Nature.
Long Moss Spring.
Long Moss Springer Blue Spring,
as 1t is sometimes called-is, in reality,
a full grown creek which springs from
a circular basin at the foot Of a tim
ber- crested HILL spreads on its eight
mile journey to the Chipola river. At
intervals, for several miles below the
head spring, other springs bold and
clear, some ten or twelve in number
and marked usually by their wide, cir
cular basins, pour into the creek.
The water of the creek are as trans
parent as air; the bottom, where the
run of the creek keeps 1t swept clear
Of water vegetation, is Of pure white
or cream colored sand, Uttered in ir-
regular beds with muscle shells and
periwinkles. The mean average OF the
creeks width for three or four miles
below its source is well over one hum
dred yards, the entire area of its bed.
save in the run Of the stream, being
heavily grown with moss and water
grasses, vivid green in color and usual
ly well below the surface Of the water.
From Long Moss Spring to Law
rence's Mill, seven miles below and
the lowest point on the creek which
visited, as we padded our boat, fish
ing and duck shooting, the flnny tribes
most coveted members were constantly
visible; these were chiefly spring trout,
long and slim bodied, which ran singly
or In small schools and the matchless
shell cracker of swift, clear water,
which darted like clustered shadows in
schools Of from fifty to a hundred fish.
In the deep pools and spring basins
trout of the blood royal hold court;
they are easily seen, II the water is
still, at q depth of ten or twelve feet
and apparently Indifferent to onlook-
ers, with slowly tanning tail and fins,
lie idle in the cool depths, move easily
from rock grottos to the shadowy
cover of long serpentine moss pen
nants or, in more sportive humor, dart
like javelins In the sunlight.
Splendid Huntino.
e Wide, missy flats. scattered islands
Of bear-gra and sheltered sloughs
and algoons, thouands OF overhaeging
acorn treee and the seclusion of the
locality make 1t an ideal roost and
; feeding ground for duck, while the
bordering hummock lands, little cane
brakes, beech and cvnress flats fur
nish ample cover and feeding ground
for turkey and squirrel.
Away from the creek on either side
the land rises abruptly. At some
points from the waters edge, at other
points separated from the creek by
reaches of swamp and hummock lands
the ascent to the general elevation OF
the surrounding country is made
Ply w SACCP D4AASAHSS VI ny ONCI
hanging lodges Of limeAtone. From the
brow Of these hills, I'm alternating
fields in cultivation. old fields and vir-
gin timber, the country rolls away
save for occasional lime-sinl1s and
'pockets'-bold and open, pleasant to
the eye. prolific in partridge, peas and
beggarweeds and plentifully stocked
with quail. To The Nest" and these
natural surroundings, add a staunch
dry, eighteen-foot batteau, a brace OF
good settlers, perfect weather, Law
renee Bird for host and guide and
surely there Is nothing left to wish for
Leaving Blakely on the evening OF
Saturday January 9Th. I arrived al
THE Nest" in the afternoon OF the
next day. Immediately changing the
conventional clothes Of civilization for
hunting togs, said to worldly cares
and ambitions-of which have sew
eral-"Go to now. I win have a good
time" and Immediately set about doing
t. "Pardner Mr.. Bird-seem-
ed to divine what I had said to those
cares and ambitions, and with a cam
araderie peculiar to himself, made
me. almost instantly. perfectly at home
with everything about me, particularly
himself, for after that, In spite OF his
seniority, always called him and still
think Of him by no name more formal