68 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



mosses of v^arious species. Mosses also cover rocks and hang over the 

 wet surfaces of dripping clifts. Sphagnous or peat mosses abound in 

 bogs, marshes and wet places. They are also often found growing on 

 rocks, wet cliffs and the open summits of high mountains where clouds 

 and rains are so frequent that the necessary conditions are afforded for 

 the growth of these semiaquatic plants. 



Mt Mclntyre, in the southern part of the town, is the highest mountain. 

 Its altitude is 51 12 ft. Mt Marcy, with an altitude of 5344 ft, is the only 

 one of the Adirondack peaks that surpasses it. Mt Wright is next to Mt 

 ]\Iclntyre on the northeast and tbrms a sort of shoulder to it. Mt Wall- 

 face on the west is separated from it by the deep and narrow gorge 

 known as Indian pass. Mt Street is north of Mt Wallface and separated 

 from it by Peck pass. Mt Jo is of moderate altitude and is just ncirth of 

 Clear lake. The south end of Pitchoft" mountain enters the town on the 

 east between the old road to Keene and the one now used. Pulpit 

 mountain rises abruptly from the east shore of Lake Placid, its perpen- 

 dicular base at Pulpit rock emerging from the water of the lake. Cobble 

 hill or Altar mountain is southeast of Mud pond. Mt Whiteface lies 

 just beyond the northern boundary of the town. Its rich and varied 

 fiora has therefore been excluded. 



Lake Placid is the largest of the numerous bodies of water in the town, 

 but its extent is less imposing because of the two large islands, Moose 

 island and Buck island, that occupy its central part and obstruct the view 

 over its surface. It lies in the northern part of the town. Mirror lake 

 is separated from it by the narrow strip of land south of which the 

 village stands. McKenzie pond is near the northwest corner of 

 the town, Connery pond. Long pond and Tom Peck pond are in the 

 northern part east of Lake Placid, Owen pond and Copperas pond are 

 in the northeast corner, Little Cherrypatch and Big Cherrypatch ponds 

 are in the Ausable valley near the lower iron bridge, Round lake and 

 Marsh pond are near Freemans Home in the eastern part of the town 

 and Clear lake is in the southern part at the terminus of the road leading 

 to Adirondack lodge. The head of Cascade lake just enters the town on 

 the east. Scotts ponds are a short distance northwest of Mt Wallface. 



Ray brook and its tributaries afford drainage for the northwestern 

 part of the town, the west branch of the Ausable river and its tributaries 

 for nearly all the rest. Chubb river drains Averyville swamp and the 

 contiguous territory. It flows in a northerly direction and uniting with 

 the outlet of Lake Placid near Newman, their combined waters form the 

 chief western tributary of the west branch of the Ausable river. The 

 general direction of this stream through the town is northeasterly. 

 The Ausable valley may be considered for our present purpose to extend 



