Page:Early western travels, 1748-1846 V13.djvu/111

 of aboriginal mounds, I entered upon an oak swamp, which, by the marks on the trees, appeared to be usually inundated, in the course of the summer, four to six feet by the back water of the river. The species are principally Quercus lyrata, Q. macrocarpa (the over-cup oak); Q. phellos (the willow oak); Q. falcata (the Spanish oak); and Q. palustris (the swamp oak); with some red and scarlet, as well as black and post oak on the knolls, or more elevated parts. In this swamp, I also observed the Nyssa aquatica, N. pubescens (Ogechee lime, the fruit being prepared as a conserve), as well as N. biflora, and Gleditscia monosperma. After crossing this horrid morass, a delightful tract of high ground again occurs, over which the floods had never yet prevailed; here the fields of the French settlers were already of a vivid green, and the birds were singing from every bush, more particularly the red bird (Loxia cardinalis), and the blue sparrow (Motacilla sialis). The ground appeared perfectly whitened with {72} the Alyssum bidentatum. The Viola bicolor, the Myosurus minimus of Europe, (probably introduced by the French settlers) and the Houstonia serpyllifolia of Michaux, (H. patens of Mr. Elliott) with bright blue flowers, were also already in bloom. After emerging out of the swamp, in which I found it necessary to wade about ankle deep, a prairie came in view, with scattering houses spreading over a narrow and elevated tract for about three miles parallel to the bend of the river.

On arriving, I waited on Monsieur Bougie,[76] one of the earliest settlers and principal inhabitants of the place, to whom I was introduced by letter. I soon found in him a