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NATURALIST'S GUIDE TO THE AMERICAS 



of the White Mountains which appear 

 at Acton and Shapleigh, about 35 mi. 

 inland, and eastward to the shore of 

 Sebago Lake, upwards of 45 mi. from 

 Kittery, is a sand plain area broken by- 

 valleys, small lakes, cool bogs and with 

 an occasional elevation of noteworthy 

 altitude. Mount Agamenticus (673 ft.) 

 is the most striking example of the latter. 



This area is in contrast with much of 

 the rest of the state through the pre- 

 ponderance of deciduous forest. Most 

 striking are the large areas of oaks of 

 several species, and pitch pine (Pinus 

 rigida), which here attains superior 

 development. Here also, southern 

 white cedar {Chamaecyparis thyoides) 

 occurs in considerable quantities, and 

 red cedar is frequent. 



Besides the red and white oaks, 

 which are of wider distribution in the 

 state, there are in this area scarlet oak 

 {Querents coccinea), black oak (Q. velu- 

 tina), and bear or black scrub oak (Q. 

 ilicifolia) in greater or less abundance. 

 The scrub oak occupies large tracts on 

 the plains. Chestnut oak {Q. prinus) 

 is also found in a single locality. Sassa- 

 fras, black or sour gum, poison sumach 

 {Rhus vernix), and smooth winterberry 

 {Ilex laevigata) are of frequent occurrence. 



An interesting feature of this transi- 

 tion extension is the frequency of cool 

 bogs, occasionally bringing together 

 such a combination as sphagnum, 

 spruce, creeping snowberry {Chiogenes 

 hispidula), growing with southern white 

 cedar and smooth winterberry. 



Starting at the western boundary of 

 the state, to the northward of the sand 

 plains a spur of the Appalachian high- 

 lands appear as foothills rising to a 

 height of 1000 ft. at Acton and Shap- 

 leigh, about 35 mi. northerly from Kit- 

 tery Point. These elevations increase 

 in height and in numbers to the north- 

 ward, the range trending in a general 

 northeasterly direction, and culminate 

 in the Grafton Mountains, a group just 

 south of the Rangley Lakes. Speckled 

 Mountain or Mount Matalluck, chief of 

 the group is said to be the second moun- 

 tain of the state in height. 



Its summit is flat with a good depth 

 of soil and a growth of straight spruces 

 about 30 ft. tall. Below this crown on 

 the steep sides is an alpine belt, devoid 

 of trees except a few mats of scattered 

 spruce and fir sprawling over rocks, 

 and various alpine Plants. Matalluck 

 throws out an arm at the southwest 

 known as Mahoosic Mountain, between 

 these is a deep notch through which 

 Mahoosic Brook flows, for nearly a mile 

 buried, often 30 ft. beneath gigantic 

 boulders which have fallen from the 

 mountainsides above. Its icy waters are 

 contributed to the Androscoggin through 

 the medium of two other streams. Ice 

 is said to be found in the bottom of this 

 notch throughout the summer. 



The sides of Matalluck are very steep, 

 and on the east is another notch, Grafton 

 Notch, through which passes the turn 

 pike to the foot of the Rangley Lakes, 

 between Matalluck and Saddleback, 

 the latter but slightly less in height 

 than its brother. 



To the northeastward the mountains 

 become scattered, appearing at various 

 places as more or less isolated peaks. 

 Some of these have alpine summits 

 thrust above the spruce forests. Among 

 the best known are: 



A group clustered about Moosehead 

 Lake including Squaw Mountain, and 

 Mount Kineo, two of the conspicuous 

 highlands of the region. 



About 110 mi. northeast of the Grafton 

 Mountains, Mount Ktaadn rises to an 

 elevation of 5273 ft. It is the highest 

 mountain of the state, and when viewed 

 from a distance seems to stand alone in 

 a vast wilderness, but when approached 

 it is found to be flanked by a worthy 

 assemblage of lesser elevations or foot- 

 hills. It is well to the eastward of the 

 Appalachian highlands of western 

 Maine, rising from a relatively low 

 plateau embraced between the West and 

 East branches of the Penobscot River. 



Its summit is about 9 mi. long, with a 



vast alpine plateau or "Tableland." 



Ktaadn, together with about 90,000 



acres of the surrounding region, has been 



established as a State Game Preserve. 



