water.

sleep, I even fancied that he had drawn me under The return of day rejoiced me, and presenting a variety of different objects, diverted me from the frightful idea that had taken possession. of my mind.

Remember me tenderly to Catharine and Louisa, and tell them I have collected a number of beautiful butterflies and insects for their cabinet, which I shall send to England by the first opportunity. Your affectionate

ARTHUR MIDDLETON.

LETTER XV.

Arthur Middleton to his Brother Edwin.

MY DEAR EDWIN,

Taskawila.

THE fear of extending my last letter to an immoderate length, obliged me to omit several things I wished to mention, that we saw in the neighbourhood of Lake George, which I must now do, before I proceed with our journey.

I mistook vast clusters of an aquatic plant, united together by its fibrous roots beneath the water, for a multitude of islets of different sizes; but was soon convinced of my error by Sancho, who tore

two or three of them from the rest: they are not unlike a lettuce, though the leaves are firmer, and of a yellow green. They are first produced near the shores, where they gradually spread into deep water, and form delightful green floating plains of a great length, frequently inhabited by serpents, frogs, otters, cranes, herons, curlews, and jackdaws.

The snake bird haunts the borders of all the rivers and waters of Florida. The head and neck are extremely slender, and the latter uncommonly long; the bill is likewise long and pointed: all the upper part of the bird is as black and glossy as a raven; the bosom is of a cream colour; the tail is long, of a deep black, tipped with silvery white, and, when spread, is like a fan. These birds love to assemble together in companies, upon the dry branches of trees, that hang over the water. If any thing alarms them in this situation, they suddenly drop into the water as if they were dead, and appear to sink to the bottom; but rise in a few minutes to the surface, at a vast distance from the spot where they fell, when nothing is to be seen above the water, but the slender head and neck, which look very much like a snake, and from this the bird takes its name.

Innumerable myriads of small flying insects hover over the streams of this country they are of that race called Ephemera, from the shortness of their life in the fly state. These insects rise out of

the

the water, near the shore, in countless numbers before sun-rise; when they generally take their flight to the land, but return to their native element, in swarms, towards evening, where they are greedily devoured by birds, frogs, and fish.

The grand business of their short existence seems to be that of laying their eggs, which they deposit in the water, as they die soon afterwards. The egg hatches, and the larvæ undergoes the usual changes in its oozy bed, till the warm season enables it to burst its shell and rise into the air.

The variety of fish that inhabit the waters, equals that of the birds, and far exceeds my powers of description; so I must limit my pen to a few of the most remarkable. The great brown spotted garr is defended by a coat of mail, and is so voracious, that he is a very cannibal amongst fish less powerful than himself. He finds but few opponents who dare contend with him, except the alligator, to whom he sometimes becomes a prey. The Indians use his sharp teeth to scratch or bleed themselves when they have occasion, and his pointed scales to arm their arrows. Sometimes they eat his flesh, which is white and tender, after being baked in hot embers, till the skin and scales peel off easily.

Some of the different species of bream are beautifully variegated, particularly the great yellow, or parti-coloured bream: his back is a dusky brown,

dashed with streaks of dull purple; the sides and belly are of a bright yellow, inclining to scarlet; the whole powdered with specks of green, gold, and silver, and a large spot near the gills of a deep glossy black, reflecting in the sun both green and blue, and encircled with a fiery red. The flesh of this and some of the other kinds make a good dish.

The great soft-shelled tortoise is an inhabitant of the rivers, lakes, and ponds of East Florida : they are delicious food, and weigh from twenty to thirty pounds. They very much resemble the sea turtle, except having a soft shell, which, when boiled, becomes a jelly. It is a disagreeable looking creature, having a sort of snout, with a hooked beak; the corners of the mouth are wrinkled, and armed with long pointed warts, which he can stretch out or contract as he pleases. This animal, when hungry, burys himself in the slushy bottoms of rivers, where they are covered with flags and long 'sedgy grass, leaving an opening just big enough for his head; which he darts out as quick as lightning, and seizes the first young duck, frog, or fish, that unfortunately passes near him. The gopher, or great land tortoise, though of the same family, differs very much from the creature I have just described, both in his place of residence, and in the substance of his shell; which is so hard, that a man might stand upon it, without hurting the tortoise. He makes his den

only

only on high dry sand-hills, instead of choosing watery places; the eggs are larger than a musket ball, and the flesh is excellent food.

In one of our rides, a plain lying open before. us, Mr. Franklin called my attention to a large hawk, which seemed to make many efforts to rise, but from some cause, which we could not perceive, was unable to lift himself from the ground. On coming near him, we found that a very long coach-whip snake had wreathed himself close round his body, and that he had but one wing at liberty. I alighted with an intention of parting them, but, whether from fear of me, or mutual consent, (the antagonists being nearly equal,) I know not, they separated without my interference; the bird rose into the higher regions of the air, and the snake crept into a thicket. It is most likely that the hawk began the affray, with the design of devouring the snake; but the reptile dexterously coiled himself around his body, so as to disarm him of the power to injure him.

We are now at Taskawila, an Indian town, to which, on our entrance, we were welcomed by a company of young people of both sexes, who conducted us to the chief's house, which is built on rising ground, and is distinguished from the rest, both by its size, and a large flag being hoisted on a high staff, at one corner of the roof. The chief, being acquainted with the trader who