30 Some Account of an Excursion to 



tion of the numerous wind-falls, upon the western base 

 and lower margin of the mountain, clearly proves the 

 violence with which clouds and tempests beat over the 

 leeward sides of high mountains. The soil disturbed 

 by the uprooted trees is universally siliceous. 



We saw no animal upon the summit of the hill, ex- 

 cept a small Fly and the Red- Squirrel*.. 



The geometrical admeasurement, calculated from our 

 observations, gives to Mount- Washington an elevation 

 of 4620 feet above the champaign in front of Mr. Rose- 

 brook's, who is the nearest inhabitant to its western 

 base. This place is about forty miles in the zig-zag 

 direction, in which the Ammonoosuck forms its mouth, 

 where it mingles its waters with those of the Connec- 

 ticut-River. If we suppose the Ammonoosuck to fall 

 40 feet the mile, and I believe its fall to be quite as great, 

 for it is a very rapid stream, the altitude of the moun- 

 tain will be 6220 feet above Connecticut- River, at Bath, 

 which is situated upon the eastern bank of the river, 

 fifty miles higher up than Hanover. 



A possibly different arrangement of the different strata 

 of iron ore which may be embeddt d within the bowels of 

 the mountain may have caused variations in the needle, 

 which would render our calculations incorrect, as the 



* Probably the Sciurus striatus, which we call Ground-Squirrel, 



or, perhaps, the small Squirrel, well known in many parts of the 



d-States. by the name of " Pine-Squirrel." To this species, 



which is not described in' any systematic work, I have given tin- 



name of Sciurus Pimingus. KniTon. 



