l62 NATURE STUDY. 



The same forces that are described as working in foreign 

 lands are working in our own. Man}- are busj- in our 

 own town and the features illustrated in the textbooks are 

 often within sight of the school house. These are just as 

 interesting to the pupils and give life to the book. The 

 physical features here described happen to be near Man- 

 chester and are doubtless unknown to all but a few^ of the 

 many teachers that read Nature Study, but they are given 

 merely as tj^pes of features found everywhere. 



Ponds and lakes are common, especially where the ice- 

 sheet ploughed its way and gouged out basins that now are 

 filled to the brim by springs and brooks. Lake Massabe- 

 sic is one of these. Lying partly in Manchester and part- 

 ly in Auburn, it fills the valle3's that wind about between 

 rock}' and gravelly hills and is one of the beautj- spots of 

 southern New Hampshire. At no place very wide, its 

 shore line measures thirt}' miles. Overflowing its brim at 

 the lowest point, its waters rush down to the Merrimack 

 river, turning on the way the wheels that pump a portion 

 into Manchester for the city's use. The ancient vallej'^s 

 can be traced in their courses almost as easily as before 

 they were drowned. In this and similar lakes, accessible 

 to nearly all, many features of land and water are found and 

 those fortunately near them have the best illustrations of 

 their text books. 



In the northwest corner of the neighboring town of Bed- 

 ford is a rocky gorge that was named by the orthodox 

 settlers Devil's Pulpit. In these liberal days the first half 

 of the name is dropped. At the head of the ravine the 

 rock shows the effects of water carving somewhat unusual 

 in this section. The place is a Mecca for picnic parties, 

 but has a greater interest for the geologist. A small brook 

 tumbles noisih' down over +;he rocks, diminishing in sum- 

 mer to the merest rill. The carving was done when the 

 valley was filled with a torrent many times larger than any 



