290 UP THE NORTH EIVER. 



that there were now found along the courses of all rivers a 

 great many places where, according to every appearance, 

 there had formerly been depressions which the river orig- 

 inally filled with water, so as to form lakes and ponds, but 

 which are now filled up nearly to the height of the highest 

 freshets, and have become smooth and level plains, covered 

 with grass and trees. Such grounds as these are called 

 meadows and intervals, and sometimes river bottoms. The 

 river flows through these fluviatile lands that is, river- 

 made lands, by a very devious and winding channel, which 

 is continually changing. 



" Why does not it flow straight, and keep always to the 

 same channel ?" asked John. 



" Ah ! that is a very important question," replied Law- 

 rence, " though I have not time to explain the case to you 

 now, for it is about time for the gong to sound for tea. 

 We shall have an excellent opportunity to study the op- 

 eration of the water in a river channel at Carlton, when we 

 get there, for you remember the river twists and winds 

 about there through the meadows in front of our house, 

 and wears away the banks on one side or the other inces- 

 santly." 



"Yes," replied John, "it twines about in great sweeps, 

 and the banks in the hollow of the sweeps are caving in." 



" It is almost always so," rejoined Lawrence, " with the 

 course of a river through the lands which it has made 

 itself. There is a splendid opportunity to see this from 

 the top of Mount Holyoke, where we look down upon a re- 

 gion which seems once to have been a great lake, but 

 which now consists of a plain formed of the most fertile 

 and beautiful meadows in the world, the river flowing 

 through them with the most extraordinary windings." 



The engraving gives us a glimpse of these lands, and of 

 the windings of the river through them, as seen from near 



