The sublimity of Niagara is in the vast 

 power displayed by a mighty current 

 flowing down the long rapids and finally 

 plunging in one uniform sheet into the 

 abyss below. Dangerous as it appears, 

 the river is here crossed by small row- 

 boats. For seven miles below the 

 falls the narrow gorge continues, vary- 

 ing in width from 200 to 400 yards. 

 The river then emerges at Lewiston, 

 N. Y., having descended 104 feet from 

 the foot of the cataract. A suspension 

 bridge was constructed in 1855 by Mr. 

 Roebling, for the passage of railway 

 trains, and eighteen feet below the 

 railway it also sustains a carriage and 

 foot track. From this bridge a fine 

 view is had of the falls. Other bridges 

 have since been built, among them a 

 cantilever. 



Geologists say that the gorge through 

 which the Niagara River flows below 

 the falls bears evidence of having been 

 excavated by the river itself. Within 

 the present century changes have taken 

 place by the falling down of masses of 

 rock, the effect of which has been to 

 cause a slight recession of the cataract 



and extend the gorge to the same 

 distance upward toward Lake Erie. 

 Table Rock, once a striking feature 

 of the falls, has wholly disappeared. 

 Father Hennepin made a sketch of the 

 falls in 1678, a facsimile of which 

 shows that many striking features have 

 disappeared. In 1750 the falls were 

 visited by Kalm, a Swedish naturalist, 

 whose description of Niagara was pub- 

 lished in 1751. He alludes to a rock 

 having fallen down a few years pre- 

 vious and indicates the spot in his 

 sketch. Lyell estimates the retroces- 

 sion of the falls to be about a foot a 

 year. 



Of late years the extraordinary 

 power of the falls has been adapted to 

 the production of electricity, which has 

 been distributed to various cities and 

 towns within a radius of lOO miles. 

 Street cars and machinery of every 

 kind are run by them, and, by new de- 

 vices and more powerful dynamos, it 

 is believed the field for the successful 

 utilization of this great force is almost 

 without limit. 



HOW THE WOODPECKER KNOWS, 



How does he know where to dig- his hole, 

 The woodpecker there, on the elm tree bole? 

 How does he know what kind of a limb 

 To use for a drum, or to burrow in? 

 How does he find where the young grubs 



grow — 

 I'd like to know? 



The woodpecker flew to a maple limb, 

 And drummed a tattoo that was fun for him. 

 "No breakfast here! It's too hard for that," 

 He said, as down on his tail he sat. 

 Just listen to this: rrrrr rat-tat-tat. 



Away to the pear tree out of sight. 

 With a cheery call and a jumping flight! 



He hopped around till he found a stub. 

 Ah, here's the place to look for a grub! 

 'Tis moist and dead rrrrr rub dub-dub. 



To a branch of the apple tree Downy hied, 

 And hung by his toes on the under side. 

 'Twill be sunny here in this hollow trunk. 

 It's dry and soft, with a heart of punk. 

 Just the place for a nest ! — rrrr runk-tunk- 

 tunk. 



" I see," said the boy, just a tap or two, 

 Then listen, as any bright boy might do. 

 You can tell ripe melons and garden stuff 

 In the very same way — it's easy enough." 

 — Youth'' s Companion. 



