66 The Effects of a Drought 



the ordinary grass was brittle, brown, and 

 resting flat upon the earth. Before the be- 

 ginning of September the landscape had a 

 scorched appearance, this applying also to 

 the foliage of several species of deciduous 

 trees. By this time, too, the last trace of 

 surface moisture had disappeared from the 

 ordinarily wet or " mucky" meadows. 



During this time, even at its close, I did 

 not notice any appreciable diminution of the 

 volume of water flowing from the hill-side 

 and meadow-surface springs, although 1 

 learned that many wells had partly or wholly 

 failed. But, in all cases save one that I ex- 

 amined, the water did not pass over its usual 

 course and join ordinarily permanent brooks, 

 and through them reach the river. The 

 extremely dry ground immediately about 

 the springs absorbed the entire outflow at 

 greater or less distances from their sources. 

 Of course, near the springs there was the 

 usual luxuriance of aquatic and semi-aquatic 

 vegetation, and, what is of interest to the 

 Zoologist, an abnormal abundance or over- 

 crowding of animal life in these oasitic 

 areas. 



The continued presence of animal life de- 



