Letters from Alabama: Chiefly Relating to Natural History

Table of Contents

Table of Contents Preface 25 Letter I—May 12th Philadelphia • Delaware Bay • Delights of Voyaging • Gulf-­­stream • Floating Weeds • Dolphins • Pilotfish • Suckingfish • Flyingfish • Stormy Petrel • Trade Wind • Bahamas • Hole in the Wall • Florida Reef • Turtle • Portuguese Men-­of-­War • Groper • Yellowtail • Marketfish • Hogfish • Catfish • Visit to Cayo Boca • Insects • Birds • Shells • Hermit Crab • Swift Crab • Sponges • Gulf of Mexico • Hermit Thrush • Redstart • Kingfish • Storm • Mariners’ Lights • Mobile Point and Bay 27 Letter II—May 20th Mobile • Forests • Magnolias • Insects • White Skipper Butterfly • Crayfish • Prickly Pear • Alabama River • Fireflies • Night-­fires • Dawn • Bats • Whip-­poor-­will • Wood-­yards • Freshets • Trees • Scarcity of Animals • Blue Heron • Belted Kingfisher • Wood-­duck • Tortoise • Sinuous Course of the River• MeetingoftwoSteamers• King’sLanding• ShippingCotton• Master James • Fox-­Squirrels • Tanagers • Hairstreaks • Scarlet Woodbine • Colias • Emerald Dragonfly • Copperbelly • Slaves • Turkey-­ buzzards 43 Letter III—June 1st School • Construction and Furniture of Schoolroom • Pupils • Forest Yard • Early Walk • Breakfast • Homminy • Woffles • Indian Bread • Feather-­fan • Mocking-­bird • Lizards • Scorpion Lizard • Fast Runner • Ants • Rabbit • Twisting-­Stick • Flowers • Butterflies • Zebra Swallowtail • Yellows • Brown Thrush • Cardinal Grosbeak • Browns • Tick • Turkeys • Turkey-­pen • AfternoonWalk • Butterflies• Turtle-­dove• IndianPink• Skippers• BarredOwl• Night-­hawks • Calling Hogs • Habits of Hogs • Twilight in the Garden • Marvel of Peru • Hawk-­moths • Development of the Imago • Structure of a Moth 55 20 Letters from Alabama Letter IV—June 10th NightScene• Chuck-­Will’s-­Widow• ItsNote• Boat-­fly• Anolis• ItsChanges of Colour • Prairies • Their Plants and Flowers • Larkspur • Coral-­tree • Swallow-­worts • View over the Forest • Blue Swallowtail • Black Swallowtail • Archippus • Green Clouded Swallowtail • Painted Beauty • Pink-­wing Moth • Beauty of Butterflies • Scales of Wing • Scarcity of Water • Resources in Drought • Forest Prairie • Goldwing Woodpecker • Carolina Wren • Passalus • BeetlesonFlowers• Glycine• White-­SpottedSkipper• ItsTransformations • Girdling Trees • Spanish Moss • Red-­tailed Hawk • Turkey-­Buzzard • Ivory-­bill Woodpecker • Log-­cock • Dragonfly feeding on Fish • Forest Pool • Desolation • Terrapins • Alligator Tortoise • Soft-­back 73 Letter V—June 16th Ride to Cahawba • Mush Creek • Fords • Hydrangea • Prickly Pear • Blue Heron • Cahawba Town and River • Ferry • Horses tied • Crying Frogs • Leaf-­eating Lady-­birds • Lepisma • Quail • Anecdote • Scarlet Viper • Trail of Snakes • Intellectual Capacity fairly distributed • Examples • Provincialisms of Speech • Large Cicadae • Purple Grakle • Scarlet Trumpet Flower • Humming-­bird• Cross-­vine• SpanishMoss• RemarkableFungus• Sensitive Brier • Chestnut • Grandeur of Forest • Purple Underwing Moth • Scolia • Toad • Ringlet Butterflies • Pearly Eye • Black Emperor Swallowtail • Red Spotted Purple • Humble-­bee • Hawk-­moth • Earwig • Hair Spectre • Squirrels • A valuable Secret • Sylvan Amusements • Driving the Nail • Threading the Needle • Snuffing the Candle • Barking off Squirrels 95 Letter VI—July 1st Indian Corn • Cane-­brakes • Firing a Brake • Fan-­Palm • Lack of Grass • Star Cranefly • Digging out Cossus from a Tree • Economy of Xylophagous Insects • Progress of a Wasp’s Nest • Operations of a Carpenter-­ bee • Sassafras • Spice-­wood • Azure Butterfly • Peach Hawk-­ moth • Mydas • Bombylius • Abnormal Voracity • Variegated Fritillary • Coral Hairstreak • Succession of Butterflies • Their Beauty, Number, and Size • Profusion of Animal Life and Happiness 118 Letters from Alabama 21 Letter VII—July 3d Description of a Southern House • Climbing Plants • Habits of the People • RudeCarpentry• Roofs• Chimneys• Yard• NegroChildren• Ducks• Ornamental Trees • Pride of China • Sycamore • Wild Cherry • Woodpeckers • RelationofColourstoAnimals • Althea• Humming-­birds• Ball-­chafer• Itssingular Habits • Horns of Beetles • Oryctes • Its Strength • A wonderful Feat • SpinesofLongicorns• TheirEyes­• ArchedSwallowtail• YellowEmperorSwallowtail • Red-­stripedHairstreak• Plane-­treeMoth• OtherInsects • Bats• Indigo Bird • Tulip-­tree • Peculiarity in Vernation • Catalpa 123 Letter VIII—July 5th Robbing Bee’s Nest • Bee-­tree • Mode of Proceeding • Katedid • Its Pertina­ city• StructureofitsMusicalOrgan• CaterpillarofArchippus• Transformations of Butterflies • Nest of Scorpion Lizard • Summer Flowers • Mullein • Blue-­Bird • Indian Shot • Sorrel-­tree • Undulations of Odour • Comfrey • Tree Primrose • Banner Pea • Zinnia • Venus’ Fly-­trap • Heat of Weather 147 Letter IX—July 15th Peaches • Melons and Gourds • Calabash • Musk Melon • Water Melon • Smell Melon • Prickly Cucumber • Locust-­tree • Wahoo • Sweet Gum • Sour Gum • Story of Irish Emigrant • Cotton in Flower • Adam’s Needle • Bear’s Grass • June Bug • Tiger Swallowtail • Eyed Click Beetle • Ringlets • Vanilla Fritillary • Snout Butterfly • Skippers • Green Emperor Moth • Corn Emperor • Crimson Underwing • Odour of Plant-­ Bug • Parasites on Insects • Chelifer • Strength of Reproductive Instinct in Insects • Ephemera • Great BlackLocust• StagBeetles• ChequeredBug• PrairieKnollrevisited • Change in its attractions • Pink-­wing Moth • Predatory Asilus 157 Letter X—August 1st Florida Coffee • Cloudless Sulphur Butterfly • Black-­banded Sulphur • Black-­ edged Sulphur • Rattlesnake • Snake crawling up a Wall • Inference of Age fromtheRattles• ALizardwithanewTail• Swallow-­tailedKite• Mississippi Kite• Ticks• TheirAdhesiveness• PowerofRepletion• DepredationsofaBear• Reprisals • Singular Rencontre • Nocturnal Evolutions of ­Swallows 169 22 Letters from...