The only resemblance between the adult and young is in the general form of the head, bill, legs, and claws. It is no wonder that naturalists considered them different species. Nuttall described the young as the American Buzzard (Falco Buteo), Pennant as the Great Hen-hawk (Buteo vulgaris), and Wilson named it the Falco Leverianus. He says, however, "it is with some doubt and hesitation that I introduce the present as a distinct species from the Buteo borealis. My reason for inclining to consider this a distinct species is the circumstance of having uniformly found the present (Falco Leverianus), two or three inches larger than the former (B. borealis). Ornithologists at that time were not generally aware that the young of many of our birds of prey were longer than the adult. This is very marked in the Goshawk and Bald Eagle. This seeming absurdity is easily explained. After moulting the long feathers never attain their former length. If Wilson had been aware of this fact he never would have introduced the young of the Buteo borealis as a distinct species. RAMBLES IN FLORIDA. BY R. E. C. STEARNS. PART III. FROM Cedar Keys to Egmont Key is eighty-five miles. The latter is situated at the mouth of Tampa Bay, and is forty miles from the town of Tampa; upon it is a lighthouse whose friendly flame shone far across the waters of the Gulf as we steamed along in the early gray of the morning. We had arranged to land at Egmont, wind and wave permitting, as it is good working ground for the naturalist but a rough sea compelled a change of plan, and we kept on for Tampa. st; Tampa Bay is divided at its upper portion, or head, into two smaller bays, one known as Old Tampa Bay, from the town of "Old Tampa," the other as Hillsborough Bay,* which receives a river of the same name. It is upon the southerly bank of the latter that the new or present town of Tampa is located. A very narrow and crooked channel and an insufficient depth of water prevent vessels, excepting very small craft, from reaching the wharves, consequently the steamer was anchored some four miles below the place. Viewed from the deck the scenery is attractive, though the shores, as elsewhere, are quite low. As you face the town upon the left hand, and half a mile off, is Ballast Point,† an ancient reef; upon the right are islands and the mainland in the distance; in front the military post of Fort Brooke,‡ with its new buildings half-hidden by the sturdy old oaks (Quercus virens), whose stalwart limbs are decked with robes of the long Spanish moss, which hang motionless in the quiet air, or flutter like tattered battle-flags when moved by a passing breeze. The post is built upon a sloping lawn whose margin is washed by the waters of the bay; in front of the trees is the parade ground, in the centre stands a symmetrical flag-staff, from the top of which, far aloft, floats the national flag. There is some little commotion in getting ashore, for everybody and everything have to be transferred to lighters and small vessels; at the time a transient shower was passing and the warm rain caused an unpleasant stickiness. It was soon over however, and we saw our packages placed *There is a county of this name, of which the city or town of Tampa is the county seat. † A very interesting spot to the geologist. Here we collected over a hundred species of fossils from the fossil coral, and obtained many beautiful specimens of Chalcedony; and it was without doubt from this locality that the aborigines of this part of the state procured the material from which they made their arrowheads. The military reservation at Tampa is situated upon and embraces the healthiest and by far the pleasantest portion of the place. Many of the older officers of the United States army have been stationed here, as it was an important base during the wars with the Seminoles. It is reported of Gen. Taylor that he was so much attached to the locality, that when, at the time he was President, the Secretary of War proposed to sell the post, the old soldier positively forbade it. safely in a four-ton sloop, and seated ourselves upon the top of the cargo like statues upon a pedestal. The lines were "let go," and after beating in a light wind the sloop was at the wharf by noon. When a steamer arrives the event is published by a certain number of strokes on the Court House bell; hence the crowd at the wharf. Friends met us as soon as we landed, and with their assistance we found an unoccupied house and an unemployed negro; the former was at once hired for a camp, the latter for a commissary and quartermaster.*/ In two hours after landing we were "at rights" and housekeeping. Elated with this wonderful dispatch, in the fulness of our joy we thought the millennium not more than "two blocks off," and rashly named our quarters "Camp Delight;" but we had unwisely crowed before we were out of the woods, as will presently be seen. The population of Tampa is variously stated at from eight hundred to one thousand (people), of all sizes and colors; but this does not include the million (of fleas) that nightly met in mass-meeting at Camp Delight, and compelled us, both in sorrow and in anger, to change the name to Camp Misery. The fleas of California, the black-flies of the Lake Superior swamps, the mosquitoes of the Ohio Valley, all of these we had met on their own ground and never winced, but the fleas of Tampa proved invincible. We thought of the saying of a German poet, "God made the world, but the I devil made the flea." The appearance of the town creates a favorable impression, for it is well planned, the streets being wide and regular and the buildings comely; many of the streets and yards are ornamented with trees; in some of the latter the bananas were just shooting up new leaves to replace those that were cut down at Christmas time by an unusual and severe frost. A large specimen of the American aloe (Agave Americana) *Soon after our departure from Tampa, our colored quartermaster was elected City Marshal. standing in the Post Office yard perished from the same cause, though a rosebush near it was loaded with red flowers. Many of the orange trees were full of fruit, which was ruined by the fatal blast, and bushels were rotting on the ground. In some sheltered spots or warm places on the shore of Old Tampa Bay they were untouched, and we had many a feast upon the golden fruit from that neighborhood. The Florida oranges we consider superior to the Mediterranean, Mexican or Tahitan; they are of large size, good color and fine flavor. The Shaddock (Citrus decumana) also grows in the vicinity of Tampa, and very fine specimens of the fruit were purchased by us at the stores. It is extensively cultivated in the West Indies, and many people prefer it to the orange; it is slightly bitter, and the juice, a mild acid, is cooling and healthful. It is called Grape Fruit by the Floridians. Not far from our camp is a grove consisting principally of pines of the species Pinus palustris, also called the pitch-pine, and long-leaved pine, and P. tæda, known as the loblolly pine, and many may be seen in the streets and elsewhere about the town; they sometimes attain a height of one hundred feet, but we have as yet seen none that exceeded seventy feet. The Chamaerops serrulata, or Saw Palmetto, here, as everywhere in South Florida, grows luxuriantly in the sandy soil, and just outside of the town it seems to have crowded out all other shrubbery. Without enumerating the many botanical forms that are met with in this section of the country, a few of the prominent species worthy of mention are the Sweet Bay (Magnolia glauca Linn.), which grows to the height of twenty feet, with highly perfumed flowers and shining leaves (an isolated colony of this species sheds its fragrance on the colder air of the north, being found in the vicinity of Gloucester, Mass.); the Southern Buckthorn (Frangula Caroliniana Walt.), a species of Hawthorn; the Catalpa, or Indian *This was in the latter part of January. bean; also the Persea Carolinensis, or Alligator pear," sometimes called the Red Bay. The banks of the Hillsborough River at the water's edge are muddy, with a growth of tall coarse grass. The bivalve shell, Cyrena Carolinensis,† may here be obtained; also the pretty little river snail, Neritina reclivala. From the wharves, at the proper tide, many fish are caught, principally Sheep's-head (Sargus) and Mullet (Mugil), both of which are good eating. The supply, however, is quite irregular, and the market therefore cannot be depended upon. Oysters (O. Virginica) of excellent quality abound in the bay, and can usually be purchased from boats at the wharf. During a portion of the period of our stay at Tampa the market was well supplied with venison (Cervus Virginianus) of good quality, thanks to the energy and skill of an one-armed hunter residing a few miles away. The hens of Florida deserve favorable mention, if not a diploma, for their daily dividends were too important to be forgotten. Stalking along the muddy margin of the stream may frequently be seen the Blue Heron (Florida cærulea Baird), and the White Heron (Herodias egretta Gray). There is a California species that much resembles this last. The White or Whooping Crane (Grus Americanus Ord.) and the great Blue Crane (Ardea herodias Linn.), and the Egrets (Demigretti Pealii Baird) with white plumage, and another (D. rufa Baird) of a reddish color, are found in this part of the state around the shores of the bay and gulf. Many others of the long or stilt-legged bipeds, of the feathered tribes belonging to the Grallatores, or waders, are met with when rambling through the marshes or exploring the bends, inlets or sloughs of the river, or are seen by us from the boat while *We were unable to obtain any of the fruit at the time of our visit in the winter; it was quite likely out of season. A species grows in Mexico, but whether identical with the Floridian we do not know. The Mexican fruit is nearly round, of the size of an orange; it has a bright green skin or rind, and contains a pulp of a peculiar flavor which melts in the mouth like butter. It is eaten with pepper and salt. † Valves of this shell were found by us in the shell-heaps, but are not common. |