I26 Laxgdon on Birds of the Chilhowee Mountains, Tenn. [April 



'Mountain'). This latter range, about twenty miles in length, 

 and nearly parallel with the 'Smokies,' is pierced (about twenty- 

 five miles south-east of Knoxville) by Little River. A mile west 

 of the 'gap' so formed is Mount Nebo, one of the sub-divisions 

 of the Chilhowee range, and an objective point of the expedition, 

 where are located some chalybeate springs and a hotel. From 

 this locality excursions were made in various directions, notably 

 one to the Great Smoky Mountains, about twenty miles south- 

 east. 



The altitudes of the higher peaks of the region range from 

 2452 feet at Nebo, to 6701 — Clingman's Dome in the 'Smokies.'* 



The whole Chilhowee group, including the principal range of 

 that name, is situated in Blount and Sevier Counties, and is 

 drained by the Little Pigeon, a tributary of the French Broad ; 

 and by Little and Little Tennessee Rivers, flowing into the Ten- 

 nessee. The drainage of the entire region is thus eventually 

 Ohioan. 



The Chilhowee Mountains are not unknown to zoological 

 science, Dr. James Lewis having described a species of land- 

 shell, Helix chilkowee?isis, from that region, about ten years 

 ago. 



The topography of the region is alternately mountain and 

 'cove' — as the little 'pockets' of tillable land, walled in by moun- 

 tains except where they border the rivers, are called. Generally 

 speaking a road following the river is the only outlet for these 

 'coves' that can be traversed by wagon. 



The 'coves' passed through by the expedition were Miller's 

 ami Tuckaleechee, — said to be from six to eight miles in length 

 and about a third as wide ; Tuckaleechee being the larger of the 

 two. Both are drained by Little River. 



The entire mountain region is well wooded, and towards the 

 'Smokies' heavily timbered. 



At Mt. Nebo the principal trees are poplar, oak, chestnut, 

 chinquapin, hickory, beech, sweet and black gums ; a few wal- 

 nut, butternut, and birch ; with a sprinkling of pines throughout 

 and of small spruce along ravines and small streams. The under- 

 growth is chiefly of poplars, gums, dogwood, chinquapin, and, 



* Vide Guyot, in Am. Jour. Sci. and Arts., 2nd ser., Vol. XXIV, p. 277 ; and Saf- 

 ford, 'Geology of Tennessee,' Nashville, 1869. 



