Mr Audubon on the Ohio. IHB 



Ohio. Every tree was hung with long and flowing festoons of 

 different species of vines, many loaded with clustered fruits of 

 varied brilliancy, their rich bronzed carmine mingling beauti- 

 fully with the yellow foliage, which now predominated over 

 the yet green leaves, reflecting more lively tints from the clear 

 stream than ever landscape-painter portrayed or poet ima- 

 gined. 



The days were yet warm. The sun had assumed the rich 

 and glowing hue, which at that season produces the singular 

 phenomenon, called there the " Indian Summer.^ The moon 

 had rather passed the meridian of her grandeur. We glided 

 down the river, meeting no other ripple of the water than that 

 formed by the propulsion of our boat. Leizurely we moved 

 along, gazing all day on the grandeur and beauty of the wild 

 scenery around us. 



Now and then a large cat-fish rose to the surface of the wa- 

 ter, in pursuit of a shoal of fry, which starting simultaneously 

 from the liquid element, like so many silvery arrows, produced 

 a shower of light, while the pursuer, with open jaws, seized the 

 stragglers, and, with a splash of his tail, disappeared from our 

 view. Other fishes we heard uttering beneath our bark a rum- 

 bling noise, the strange sounds of which we discovered to pro- 

 ceed from the white perch, for on casting our net from the bow, 

 we caught several of that species, when the noise ceased for a 

 time. 



Nature, in her varied arrangements, seems to have felt a par- 

 tiality towards this portion of our country. As the traveller 

 ascends or descends the Ohio, he cannot help remarking, that, 

 alternately, nearly the whole length of the river, the margin, on 

 one side, is bounded by lofty hills, and a rolling surface, while, 

 on the other, extensive plains of the richest alluvial land are 

 seen as far as the eye can command the view. Islands of varied 

 size and form rise here and there from the bosom of the water, 

 and the winding course of the stream frequently brings you to 

 places, where the idea of being on a river of great length, 

 changes to that of floating on a lake of moderate extent. Some 

 of these islands are of considerable size and value ; while others, 

 small and insignificant, seem as if intended for contrast, and as 

 serving to enhance the general interest of the scenery. These 



