The Birds of Springfield and Vicinity. 



The Hydrographic valley of the Connecticut at Spring- 

 field is about sixty miles wide, and the river here is somewhat 

 east of the center of the basin. The State of Connecticut lies 

 three and a half miles .south of Springfield, the tow r n of Long- 

 meadow intervening. Thirteen miles to the west, a mountain 

 range rises abruptly from the level land at Westfield, continuing 

 beyond to the Housatonic Valley, forming a portion of the so- 

 called Berkshire hills, and running north until it joins the 

 Green mountains in Vermont. The highest point of this range 

 in Hampden County is "Round Top" in Chester, which 

 reaches an altitude of 1800 feet. About ten miles to the east 

 of Springfield lies a range of considerably less height, which is 

 locally called the " Wilbraham Hills," and extends north to 

 New Hampshire, where it merges into the White mountain 

 range. Five miles to the west of Springfield is a series of 

 Hills, 400 to 900 feet in height, of trap rock formation, 

 which continues up the valley and crosses the river, south of 

 the greater part of Northampton. Here the hills are higher, 

 Mount Tom and Nonotuck on the west side, and Holyoke on 

 the east, reaching an altitude of about 1200 feet. 



The Connecticut River at Springfield is but forty feet 

 above tide water, and except in time of freshet, is a sluggish 

 stream, averaging about 1200 feet in width. The important 

 branches in this vicinity are the Chicopee, Mill and Scantic 

 Rivers, that enter from the east, and Westfield and Farmington 

 Rivers, that come from the west, and the largest natural land- 

 locked body of water is Lake Congamond in South wick, which 

 covers about 410 acres. In nearly all the towns there are 

 small ponds, both natural and artificial. 



The land of the river towns is sparsely timbered, being 

 mostly under cultivation. The mountain regions east and west 

 of the river are heavily timbered, chiefly with deciduous trees, 

 consisting principally of chestnut, white oak, gray birch, 

 sugar maple, with a sprinkling of white pines and hem- 



