34 PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY 



A soil of the same description extends to the head of Soutb 

 river. The neck of land upon which Annapolis is situated, 

 lying between the latter river and the Severn, is mostly sandy^ 

 in some places a highly ferruginous sand : it is principally occu- 

 pied by pines, the dog-wood and the sumach {Rhus coriaria); 

 but it is found very susceptible to improvement, is remarkably 

 favourable to the culture of the water-melon (Cucurhita citi^ul- 

 lus,) cantelope {Cucumis melo) and to the other plants of the 

 same family. Several varieties of peaches, pears, cherries and 

 plumbs are raised in abundance and with success, whilst the 

 precarious apricot {Pi'unus Armeniaca) occasionally attains to 

 a healthy maturity. The vine ( Vitis vinifera) also seems to 

 be cultivated here with more success than in other portions of 

 the state, whilst the native fox grape, ( Vitis vuljpina) and plum- 

 grape ( V. labruscd) thrive vigorously every where. Near the 

 head of the Severn, the Scotch broom {Epartium scopariwn) 

 has been introduced and is spreading wide and fast, to the 

 annoyance of the farmer, although it is generally considered 

 a useful plant in the agriculture of Europe. Broad-necky 

 between the Severn and the Magothy, the Bodkin- neck, as 

 well as those that border on the Patapsco, are covered by a 

 light soil, which in consequence of some peculiarities, per- 

 haps in its exposure, seems to be more congenial to tshe 

 growth of the peach tree; the finest kinds of this delicious 

 fruit that are brought to the Baltimore market, being from this- 

 quarter. In the upper parts of these necks, the soil is ex- 

 tremely sandy, mostly covered with pines. This is also the 

 legion of the chestnut and chinquepin {Castanea pumila,) 

 after leaving which, and crossing a gravelly ridge, the Patapsco 

 is reached. 



The upper portions of Anne Arundel county will be referred 

 to in another place ; but before leaving the lower Western 

 Shore counties, it may be well to mention some of the wild 

 animals that are known stilt to inhabit them. It has already 

 been said that the American hare, the raccoon and the opos- 

 sum are frequently met with ; the gray and red fox (Canis 

 Vii'ginimius et fulvus) are also very numerous. There are 

 four species of squirrel found — the gray squirrel (Sciurus 

 cinereus) the brown squirrel {Sciurus capistratus? of Bosc,) the 

 flying squirrel {Pteromys volucella of Desniarest,) and the 



