324 CONTRIBUTIONS FEOM THE NATIONAL HERBARIUM. 



Great Lake also drains to Oak River. All four are close together, but 

 the only two which are connected are Great and Ellis lakes. These 

 are connected by a swamp through which water flows from Great 

 Lake to Lake Ellis. The water in all the lakes is colored dark by 

 organic matter. Great and Little lakes are about 8 feet deep, while 

 Lake Ellis is generally less than 2 feet deep. The aquatic vegetation 

 is scanty in all except Lake Ellis. 



IAKE ELLIS. 

 PHYSICAL CHARACTERS. 



Lake Ellis has the general shape of an ellipse and is about 3 miles 

 long by nearly 2\ wide. 



The shore of the lake is covered with trees. The outer part of the 

 water is overgrown with grasses and sedges, while the central part 

 is largely filled with submerged vegetation. 



At the time that the lake was examined the average depth of the 

 greater part of it was about 22 inches, and it rarely exceeded 2 feet. 

 Soon after this there were heavy rains for a week. When the lake was 

 visited two days after the rains the water was 4 feet 6 inches deep. 

 The next day it had fallen to 3 feet 4 inches. During the next week 

 it fell only 2 inches more, but after this it fell somewhat more rapidly. 

 Toward the edges of the lake the water gradually becomes shallower, 

 and the bottom grades into the shore. 



The only inlet to Lake Ellis is through a swamp which reaches 

 from Great Lake to its western end. It receives, however, a large 

 quantity of water from the surrounding country, which is very flat 

 and in many places swampy. The quantity of water received from 

 Great Lake and from the surrounding country is regulated largely by 

 the amount of rainfall. I am told on reliable authority that there are 

 times when no water runs from Lake Ellis, but these times must be 

 very rare. 



The lake is drained by two canals at the eastern end. The water 

 flows into these through the part of the lake covered with grass. 

 There is a considerable current in the canals, but very little in the open 

 part of the lake. The canals empty into Bear Branch, this being 

 tributary to Slocums Creek which, in turn, empties into Neuse River. 



The water of the lake has a dark color from organic matter con- 

 tributed by the plants of the surrounding swamps and of the lake 

 itself. 



For a long time there was a canal through the swamp between Lake 

 Ellis and Great Lake, the same running through Lake Ellis and 

 continuous with one of two issuing from the eastern end. The two 

 latter completely drained the lake, and the water in them was 

 utilized to turn a mill. About forty years ago the lake was planted 



