Shankland — On Birds on Otonabee River. 33 



which are not found in northern Ohio, and for that reason i 

 maintained as sharp a lookout for the trees as for the birds 

 during my walk. 



One of the most interesting varieties of trees that I found 

 was the tamarack, which grew in great abundance all along 

 that portion of the river valley. There was something so 

 pleasing about the delicate pea-green color of the foliage of 

 these trees, and such a picturesqueness in the scraggy shape- 

 lessness of their trunks and limbs that I could not help linger- 

 ing wherever they were to be found. This species has al- 

 ways been a general favorite with tourists and nature stu- 

 dents, and it is unfortunate that it is not more generally dis- 

 tributed. Another interesting tree, and one that is still quite 

 plentiful along the banks of the Otonabee. is the white birch, 

 and during that morning walk I counted more than fifty of 

 them. On account of the pure white color of the bark of their 

 trunks and limbs, these trees are very conspicuous objects on 

 the landscape, and a stranger is sure to take notice of them 

 even if he is not at all interested in trees. The bark of these 

 trees is made use of by the canoe makers, although it is not as 

 valuable for their purpose as is the canoe birch. 



Tn the forests proper, the beautiful and symmetrical spruces 

 are the most conspicuous of all the trees, and some of those 

 that I saw that morning were fifty feet high and as round and 

 conical as if they had been turned in a lathe. Red cedars were 

 likewise abundant in the deeper forests. Although these trees 

 are not especially pleasing to the eye, nevertheless they are 

 very valuable for their lumber, which is in great demand at 

 the sawmills for making into shingles. During my walk I 

 also noted the balsam, the pine, the fir, the chestnut, the hem- 

 locks and many others. 



From an ornithological point of view, however, my walk 

 was somewhat of a disappointment, for while there were plen- 

 ty of birds to be seen, they were nearly all of the more famil- 

 iar species. Among the evergreen trees. Crows and Blue 

 Jays were abundant, their calls making the forests fairly ring 



