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NATURALIST'S GUIDE TO THE AMERICAS 



at its highest point. At the southwest 

 portion the Mississippi River washes its 

 banks and from the top of the bluff the 

 "Father of Waters" forms an impressive 

 feature of the landscape. The bluff is 

 composed of massive sandstone inter- 

 spersed with peculiar iron layers, except 

 at the south where it is limestone. 

 There is a fine display of hickory, oak 

 and beech and in the spring the flowering 

 display of the serviceberry and dogwood 

 beggars description. 



Fountain Bluff is about | mi. (w) from 

 Gorham and also on the main highway 

 running from Chicago to Cairo. — Henry 

 C. Cowles. 



pFern Cliff. (Johnson County.) This 

 is a tract of only about 36 acres but 

 remarkable for its fern-covered boulders, 

 water-falls framed by high cliffs, sand 

 caves of magnificent proportions, talus 

 slopes with immense fragments broken 

 from the cliffs and perpendicular cliffs 

 200 ft. in height. There is a stream bor- 

 dered by fine hardwoods, beech, hickory 

 and maple, with fine springs and numer- 

 ous waterfalls. 



Reached (w) from Goreville, I mi.; 

 Illinois Central, Carbondale to Marion 

 and C. and E. I. R. R. Marion to Gore- 

 ville. Train connections just right for a 

 day's trip from Carbondale, returning 

 the same night. — R. B. Miller. 



Strip Mine Land. (Vermilion 

 County.) About 50 acres of deciduous 

 forest which is slowly being converted 

 into "spoil banks" by the process of 

 strip mining where the surface soil is 

 removed down to several feet in depth 

 by steam shovels, exposing the coal. 

 Where the forests are coming in after 

 "stripping" the land, they are in danger 

 of being partially destroyed by grazing. 

 These lands offer a valuable opportunity 

 to study the re-establishment by suc- 

 cession of the original bottomland 

 forests. 



Located two mi. east of Oakwood, 

 on the cement road Champaign to Dan- 

 ville, or take local cars on the Illinois 

 Traction Line; also Peoria Division of 

 the Big Four to Oakwood. — W. B. 

 McDougall. 



Equality Quadrangle Forest. (Pope 

 County.) 720 to 1000 acres of hilly 

 cut-over land lying on the south slope 

 of the Mountains of Hepsidam, with a 

 fair stand of young post oak and other 

 timber which will easily reproduce itself. 

 There lies on these slopes one of the 

 famous springs of Pope County, the Blue 

 Hole Spring. This tract could be con- 

 nected with a similar tract on the top of 

 Cave Hill, in Saline County, by a road 

 which would give a magnificent view of 

 the country. This tract would make an 



ideal bird sanctuary, as the mocking bird 

 nests here. 



Reached from Route 13 State road with 

 a 3 mi. road. Also from Equality, on 

 the L. and N. R. R. between Harrisburg 

 and Shawneetown. — L. W. Gordon. 



pBroionjield Woods. (Champaign 

 County.) A tract of about 60 acres of 

 deciduous forest which should be made 

 part of a forest preserve district for the 

 county embracing scattered tracts along 

 a branch of the Salt Fork from Urbana 

 to St. Joseph. It falls in the class of 

 forest running about 4000 board ft. per 

 acre and contains good specimens of red 

 and white oak, sugar maple, elm, hack- 

 berry and other bottom-land species. 

 Rich in bird life, some small mammals, 

 numerous moUusca and many insects. 



About 3 mi. northeast of Urbana- 

 Champaign; (a) or Kankakee-Urbana 

 traction line. — W. B. McDougall. 



*University of Illinois Forest Pre- 

 serve. Thirty or 40 acres of deciduous 

 forest characteristic of the groves of 

 central Illinois; used for scientific pur- 

 poses. Characteristic mesophytic trees. 

 Some cutting has taken place in recent 

 years removing the walnut and other 

 valuable species. Has been badly dam- 

 aged by continuous grazing but has 

 recovered rapidly from the harmful 

 effects since it has been under Univer- 

 sity control. 



3j mi. northeast of Urbana. (a) or 

 from Cottonwood Stop, Danville-Cham- 

 paign branch of Illinois Traction Sys- 

 tem. — W. B. McDougall. 



pTunnell Hill. (Johnson County.) 

 This is a region of much scenic interest 

 and botanists are impressed by the 

 marked differences of its flora from that 

 of any other portion of the state. No- 

 where else in the United States have I 

 seen a more varied fern growth, the many 

 shaded clifTs forming veritable fern 

 gardens. Here is the northernmost 

 range of Vaccinium arboreum, V. glau- 

 cescens, V. tenellum, Seduni pulchellum, 

 Magnolia acuminata, and many other 

 plants. 



10 mi. south of Parker, crossing of 

 Illinois Central and C. C. C. & St. L. 

 Railroads. — T. E. Savage. 



*West Woods. (McLean County.) 

 An area of about 40 acres located in 

 McLean County typical of the deciduous 

 forests of the region. A monument in 



