NATURAL AREAS AND REGIONS 



413 



It is the sort of place generally de- 

 scribed as a "sportsman's paradise." 

 See Kearney, Thomas H.: Report on 

 Botanical Survey of the Dismal Swamp 

 Region. Contribution from the U. S. 

 National Herbarium, Vol. V, No. 6, 1901. 

 The Swamp may be reached from 

 Suffolk by automobile, two mi. to 

 Jericho, thence by boat down a drainage 

 canal, or by boat from Norfolk. The 

 Dismal Swamp Canal runs through the 

 swamp east of Lake Drummond from 

 Norfolk to Elizabeth City on Albemarle 

 Sound, N. C. 



Cape Henry Dune Forest. This com- 

 prises about 300 acres of high dunes, 

 sandy shore, and back of the dunes, 

 deciduous forest and loblolly pine. 

 The forest is being gradually destroyed 

 by the encroachment of the dunes. 

 The area was used by the U. S. govern- 

 ment during the World War for fortifica- 

 tion and proving ground. See Forest 

 Leaves, XV, June, 1916. A similar area 

 in North Carolina is described by Lewis 

 in Economic Papers, N. C. Geological 

 Survey, 1917. The area may be reached 

 from Norfolk (12 mi. east) by trolley. 



* Luray Cavern. (B2.) Magnificent 

 galleries and halls with fine stalactites 

 and stalagmites. It has a remarkable 

 cave fauna. As it is in private hands, 

 an admission fee is charged to maintain 

 the cave and electric lights for illu- 

 minating purposes. It may be reached 

 from Luray (4 mi.) on the Norfolk and 

 Western Railway. 



The Grottoes. This is a cavern some- 

 what similar to Luray, reached from 

 Staunton by hard road (10 mi.), or from 

 Grottoes on the Norfolk and Western 

 Railway. 



Corner's Rock Area. (B2) Contains 

 about 1000 acres, mostly in the Unaka 

 National Forest but partly under the 

 ownership of the "Douglas Land 

 Company," Marion, Va. It is covered by 

 a deciduous and eastern coniferous 

 forest of mixed hardwoods and hem- 

 lock on ravines and along creeks. In- 

 formation may be obtained from the 

 Forest 'Supervisor, H. L. Russell, Bris- 

 tol, Tenn. 500 acres located at Kon- 

 narock, Smyth County, Va., 3 mi. from 

 post office. May be reached by (a) 

 from Rural Retreat on the Norfolk and 

 Western Railway. E. H. Frothingham. 



For Natural Bridge National Forest, 

 Shenandoah National Forest, and Unaka 

 National Forest, see "National Forests 

 of the Eastern District." 



Shenandoah National Park. (B3.) A 

 committee headed by Hon. H. W. 

 Temple of Pennsylvania has recently 

 recommended to Congress the establish- 

 ment of a National Park comprising 

 700 sq. mi. of heavily wooded and 

 ecologically unspoiled territory on the 

 western slope of the Blue Ridge from 

 Albemarle County north and east. 

 This territory is typical of the Blue 

 Ridge Region described above. Its 

 boundaries run close to the celebrated 

 cavern area of the Shenandoah Valley, 

 and besides important historical spots 

 include a wide variety of habitats still 

 virgin. 



Potomac River drainage area. An 

 area of deciduous forest extending along 

 the Virginia side of the Potomac River 

 from Rosslyn to Great Falls, a distance 

 of 16 mi. and extending back from the 

 numerous high rocky cliffs along the 

 river bank, a distance ranging from at 

 least I to f mi. P. L. Ricker. 



3. NORTH CAROLINA 

 BY Z. P. METCALF AND B. W. WELLS 



I. GENERAL CONDITION 



North Carolina is one of the most 

 varied states east of the Rockies as far 

 as its ecological features are concerned. 

 The elevation ranges from sea level to 

 the highest peaks east of the Rockies 

 with considerable areas above 6000 ft. 

 The state is divided roughly into three 

 main regions, the Coastal Plain, the 

 Piedmont Plateau and the Blue Ridge 

 Mountains. 



L Coastal Plain 



The Coastal Plain is principally a low 

 plain and extends from sea level to 

 about 500 ft. elevation. It is charac- 

 terized by sandy and sandy loam soils. 

 The lower Coastal Plain is generally 

 flat and the upper Coastal Plain rolling. 

 The characteristic trees are the longleaf 

 (Pinus palustris) and loblolly pines 

 (P. Taeda). Some of the characteristic 

 animals are: 



Mammals: Cotton rat (Sigmodon his- 

 pidus), Carolina shrew (Blarina brevi- 

 cauda ca,rolinensis} and little shrew 

 (Cryptotis parva). 



Birds: Red-cockaded woodpecker, 

 Chuck-will's-widow. 



