378 TRAVELS IN THE CONFEDERATION 



in the year 1777. The banks here are deep and rocky, 

 and the narrow gorge through which the stream flows 

 makes a view peculiarly pleasing and rough. The 

 stone appearing at the surface is a grey, fine-grained 

 mixture of quartz and black hornblende. Several mills 

 are so conveniently placed on this creek that large 

 shalops can lie close to them, and unload and load 

 wheat and flour with great ease ; the creek is not navi- 

 gable beyond. Many good houses and fine country- 

 estates are to be seen in this region, where twenty years 

 ago it was all wilderness and nobody cared to buy. 

 The flour-trade has now so increased the value of this 

 profitable situation, that an acre of land on the creek 

 fit for a mill-site costs 100 Pd. and more Pensyl. 

 Current. 



Over high ground, here and there rocky, at a little 

 distance from the Delaware which is now and again in 

 sight, one comes to Marcus-hook, a small village with 

 a church. This country is distinguished by many well- 

 kept live hedges which elsewhere in America are little 

 in use as yet. The whole way from Virginia we 

 noticed very few birds, some partridges (Tetrao virgi- 

 nianus, L.) and quails (Alanda magna, L.), falsely so- 

 called, excepted. But for two days there have met us 

 flocks of many thousands of blackbirds (Oriolus phoe- 

 niceus) which have begun their journey to the south, 

 and where they settled they covered the trees with 

 black. The wild doves had already gone south in the 

 middle of the month.* 



: The birds of passage, to which the American farmer most 

 often pays regard, are : Columba migratoria, Turdus migra- 

 torius, T. polyglottus, Oriolus phoeniceus. Alauda magna, Al. 

 alpestris, Picus principalis, Pic. auratus, Gracula Quiscula, 



