OF MARYLAND. » 39 



nut, and the blended shades of the evergreens, contribute to 

 impart to them in the fall of the year renewed beauties of a 

 peculiar character. 



Frederick county which presents another natural division of 

 the state, is, as now represented upon the maps, traversed lon- 

 gitudinally by the Monocacy, that separates it into two nearly 

 equal portions, one to the east and the other to the west. 

 The most important tributary streams to this river are on its 

 eastern side. Bennet's creek which is nearest its debouche 

 into the Potomac runs by the foot of the Sugarloaf, an isolated 

 saddle-shaped mountain, the first spur from the mass of 

 mountainous country shortly to be reached. The other creeks 

 that water the country in this direction are Bush creek, the 

 Linganore, and the more important twin branches of Pipe 

 creek, flowing through a limestone region that comprises some 

 of the best lands in the state. But the more improved por- 

 tions of the Frederick-town valley, are on the western side of 

 the Monocacy, where the soil produced by the decomposition 

 of limestone and a red shale, is found to be very productive in 

 corn and wheat. It extends to the foot of the Catoctin moun- 

 tain, the first chain of importance that presents itself, being a 

 spur of the more elevated ridge known as the South moun- 

 tain, though more commonly called the Blue-ridge. The 

 direction of this first chain is nearly north and south : it is 

 well wooded, its principal timber consisting of oaks, with 

 some sugar maple (Acer sacchariimm) and a few hemlock 

 pines {Abies Canadensis.) It oflers to sportsmen a wide, 

 though rugged field of amusement in the exciting chase of 

 the fox, during which it has happened that a mountain cat 

 (Felis montana of Desmarest) has been dislodged. This ani- 

 mal is very rarely met with at present, having been together 

 with the panther so called {Felis concolor,) and other wild 

 beasts, either destroyed or driven to more remote retreats. A 

 straggling hetxr {Ursus Ai?iericaniis) now and then, however, 

 makes his appearance. 



The valley of Middletown, situated at the fork of the 

 Catoctin and South mountains, rivals in the beauty of its 

 position, as well as in the value of its agricultural resources 

 that of Frederick-town. It is traversed nearly in its whole 

 length by the Catoctin creek, which receives one or two 



