Todd: liiRDS of Erie and Presque Isle. 487 



no pcnuaiicnl oiUlct, although originally ronnected with the channel 

 at the ])ier. It would seem to be of comparatively recent formation. 

 Northwest of Horseshoe Pond, after an interval of sand-dunes bearing 

 jjoplar trees, and occupying the depression beyond the first wooded 

 ridge, is Niagara or Lake Pond (Plate XVII), the outlet of which is into 

 Misery P>ay. It is divided into two main portions by a narrow tongue 

 of land extending from the north, and its shores are everywhere marshy 

 and tVinged with a dense growth of a([uatic plants. Yellow Ba.ss Pond, 

 oi)ening also into Misery Bay by a tortuous channel, lies just beyond 

 the intervening strij) of woodland, and is very similar in character to 

 Niagara Pond. It is succeeded in its turn by a long, narrow, shallow 

 body of water known as Ridge, or Dead Pond, so called, perhaps, 

 because during the summer months it largely dries up, as also do some 

 of the other smaller jjonds having no visible connection with the bay, 

 which would indicate that they are mainly dependent on the rains lor 

 their water-supply. Ridge Pond is entirely enclosed by a dense growth 

 of bushes, and along its southern margin there runs a board-walk con- 

 necting Presque Isle Light with the Government boat-house at the 

 head of Misery Bay. just west of this bay is Graveyard Pond, and 

 beyond this again Big Pond (Plate XIX), which has, or had in 1900, 

 an artificial outlet to the south. Big Pond, with its intricate system 

 of arms and channels, is a veritable watery labyrinth. From it a nar- 

 row passage leads into Long Pond, the name of w^hich suggests its 

 shape. Long Pond is deeper than any of the other ponds except 

 Horseshoe Pond, and its margins are not marshy to any extent, a 

 dense growth of low bu.shes extending to the edge of the water in 

 most places. West of Long Pond are two small ponds known as the 

 Lily Ponds, closed in by dense shrubbery. The only other pond of 

 importance in this connection is Cranberry Pond, a long, narrow, 

 enclosed body of water lying between and parallel to Ridge and Long 

 Ponds, .south of the board-walk. In addition to those above men- 

 tioned, there are a number of smaller ponds, i)articularly in the 

 western portion of the Peninsula, not dignified by special names, as 

 well as areas of marshy savanna which were doubtless once open ponds, 

 and have become filled up in the course of time. Nearly all the i)onds 

 have a thick layer of mud covering the sandy bottom, so that it is 

 usually unsafe to attem]^t wading. .At low water several of the ponds 

 present muddy margins, which are very attractive to some species of 

 shore-birds, but the "dead" i)onds in the western part of the I'enin- 



