1S87.I ChadeSOurnk on the Summer Birds of the White flits. IOI 



at my disposal, and to them I am indebted for much valuable 

 information. 



The Presidential Range consists of Mt. Washington (altitude, 

 6293 feet) "the highest peak east of the Rocky Mountains, and 

 north of the Carolinas," and of a number of lesser summits directly 

 connected with it. As a rule these are only more or less exagger- 

 ated spurs of the great mountain itself, but on the northern side 

 there is a lofty ridge, which is everywhere more than 4900 feet in 

 altitude, and connects the high summits of Mt. Madison (5365 feet), 

 Mt. Adams (5794 feet), Mt, Jefferson (5714 feet), and Mt. Clay 

 (5553 feet) with each other, and also with Mt. Washington. At 

 first this ridge runs almost north, then turning towards the east, it 

 forms the northern and western walls of a huge gorge, called the 

 Great Gulf, the southern wall of which is Mt. Washington itself. 

 It was on this southern wall that we camped in 1SS6, having fol- 

 lowed the bed of a mountain stream from a point a little above 

 the fourth mile-post of the carriage-road down to an altitude of 

 3140 feet, which was the highest point at which we could find tim- 

 ber large enough to peel for bark. The carriage-road from the 

 Glen ascends along the southern edge of the Great Gulf, but is 

 entirely shut in by forest until within a few rods of the Half-way 

 House (altitude, 3S40 feet). Above this it passes through a tract 

 of low matted spruce before it reaches the bare rocks and the 

 region of hardy alpine plants and grasses, which extend to the 

 summit of the mountain. 



Tuckerman's Ravine, much smaller than the Great Gulf, is on 

 the eastern side of Mt. Washington. At an altitude of about 

 4200 feet it is divided into two distinct parts by a rock)' wall, only 

 broken at one place where the stream from the ; Snow Arch' 

 above passes through. The broad lower portion is covered with 

 spruce and fir forest and contains two small ponds, the largest of 

 these, called Hermit Lake, is at an altitude of 4100 feet. The 

 upper part is surrounded on three sides by precipitous cliffs, in 

 some places said to be one thousand feet high, and in their crevices 

 grow a few alder bushes and many interesting plants and grasses. 

 Under these cliffs the snow remains at the head of the Ravine 

 until late in August; and early in July, 1SS6, it reached so far 

 down that many of the alders were still almost covered with it and 

 were as bare as in midwinter ; while still lower they were in full 

 flower and the grass and early spring plants were just beginning 



