214 GoLSAN AND HoLT, Birds of Alabama. LApril 



swamps are confined to small areas along the streams. The plant 

 associations of these swamps are practically identical with those 

 of Bear Swamp. Around Prattville the hills contain more gravel 

 and are more denuded than those surrounding Bear Swamp. 



Montgomery County lies almost wholly within the Central 

 Prairie Belt, a very fertile region of black, calcareous soils. The 

 topography has very little relief, varying from level to gently 

 rolling. In this county Barachias was the center of our observa- 

 tions, so we shall confine our descriptions to that immediate vicin- 

 ity. The two principal features are the broad, undulating hay 

 fields, destitute of trees except for an occasional straggler left upon 

 some drain ditch, and Catoma Swamp. While most of the country 

 is open, there are patches of woodland, some quite large, here and 

 there, principally in low places or along some sluggish stream 

 or slough. 



These woods are chiefly deciduous with some scattered pine 

 (Pinus toeda and P. echinata), for the most part being made up 

 of oaks (Quercus alba, Q. minor, Q. lyrata, Q. michauxii, Q. iexana 

 or schneckii, Q. digitata, Q. nigra, Q. phellos, etc.), hickories (Hicoria 

 ovata, H. alba, H. myristicceformis), hackberry (Celtis mississippien- 

 sis), elms, honey locust (Gledifsia triacanthos) , etc., with -an under- 

 growth of crabapple (Pyrus angusti folia) , haws (Crataegus) of many 

 species, dogwood (Cornus florida) and buckeye {Msculus pavia). 

 The Spanish moss (Tilla7idsia usncoides) which disappeared for a 

 number of years is again locally abundant, hanging in long, grace- 

 ful festoons even i rom the undergrowth. Along the ditches and 

 sloughs Cottonwood and willow are abundant and sycamore is by 

 no means uncommon. Wherever an old unused field is found one 

 is almost sure to find in it a patch of plums {Prunus angustifolia), 

 and if it be near the swamp, sloes (Prunus umbellata) too. The 

 hedges of osage orange ( Toxylon pomiferum) which are everywhere, 

 constitute another characteristic feature of this country. 



Catoma Swamp is an almost unbroken stretch of timbered low- 

 land lying along either bank of Catoma Creek, a tributary of the 

 Alabama River. Although in the aggregate it covers a large 

 amount of country it is usually very narrow, in some places scarcely 

 more than half a mile wide. It differs from Bear Swamp princi- 

 pally in having a dryer, firmer soil, dense cane brakes (Arundinaria 



