a local authority on northern Pope County, and asked if he knew the location of Beth- 
ell Hollow. He replied that Bethell Hollow was a ravine through which part of the 
Edgewood cutoff of the Illinois Central Railroad had been laid. The ravine (in sec, 
31, T. 11S., R. 5 E,) was at the south end of a long tunnel, 
Weather did not permit me to go to southern Illinois until the next month, On 
a warm February day I arrived in Ozark, which is in Johnson County and about 10 
miles from Eddyville, As acheck on the location I asked Connie Faulkner, anelder- 
ly resident of Ozark, if he could direct me to Bethell Hollow, He informed me that 
it was the ravine at the southend of the long tunnel of the Edgewood cutoff, I thanked 
Mr, Faulkner and proceeded to the south end of the tunnel, fig. 2, locality 3. 
The area had been much altered since 1920, the year in which Miss Strong 
made her visit to southern Illinois. The drainage pattern had been greatly disturbed 
about 1925 in the construction of the tunnel and in making a deep cut, about one -half 
mile long, for the roadbed of the railroad, figs. 4 and 5. Instead of a single stream 
in the ravine, two streams now flowed parallel to the cut and were held high upon the 
Fig. 4, --Trackway of the Illinois Central Rail - Fig. 5.--South entrance to the long tunnel on 
road (Edgewood cutoff) in the 0.5-mile cut through the the Illinois Central Railroad (Edgewood cutoff) and 
section that was formerly known as Bethell Hollow, part of the deep cut required in the construction of 
The drainage pattern in this locality has been con- this section of the railroad. The fig. 4 photograph 
siderably altered since filmy fern was reported here Was taken from the rock ledge above the tunnel en- 
in 1921. trance, 
6 
