INTRODUCTORY 



The State of Ohio embraces about 40,000 square miles. From east to west its extreme length is 

 about 220 miles; its extreme breadth from north to south is about 210 miles. Its southern limit reaches 

 38°, 25', and its northern limit 42° north latitude. Its eastern border is 3°, 30' west from Washington, 

 and its western extension is 7°, 50'. About two-thirds of this 40,000 square miles is under cultivation. 

 The remaining one-third is chiefly woodland. There were naturally a few small prairies, but these have 

 been nearly all plowed up, and now are annually sowed in grain. From the north-east corner of the 

 State a low water-shed, the greatest elevation of which is scarcely 1,400 feet above the sea, extends in a 

 south-westerly direction, dividing the State into two parts, the uppermost of which drains into Lake 

 Erie, the other into the Ohio River. There is much level country extending from Cleveland to 

 Chillicothe and westward, while to the east and south are rolling country and hills of consideriible size. 

 In the southern counties the winter tempei'ature is not so severe as in the northern, but along the 

 borders of the lake, while colder, it is also more uniform. Plere, when spring comes, it comes to remain 

 its allotted time, and in the fall, in some places, the foliage habitually dies before frosts arrive. Lake 

 Erie forms a concave line at the northern border of the State, and, as would be expected of such a large 

 body of water, exerts great influence as regards temperature, not only upon the islands which it contains, 

 but also upon its shore. Some birds make their summer abode here, which, if found at all, upon first 

 thought we would expect to occur further south. 



There are no natural large bodies of water in the State, but it is abundantly supplied with large 

 and small streams. The largest, the Ohio River, flows in a westerly direction and for part of its course 

 marks the southern boundary line. There are several artificial lakes. Of these St. Mary's reservoir, 

 situated in Mercer and Auglaize Counties, contains the most water, having an area of 17,000 acres, 

 which, together with the Ohio Canal, running from Cleveland to Portsmouth, with its reservoirs, exerts 

 a decided influence upon the bii^d life of the interior counties. JNTorth of the water-shed numerous streams 

 flow to the lake, and south of it several large rivers and a multitude of creeks hasten to the Ohio. The 

 Scioto, the Muskingum, the Hocking, and the Miami Rivers are the largest and most important of the 

 southern tributaries. The county of Pickaway, from which the majority of nests and eggs illustrated have 

 been taken, is a nearly square, level piece of land, situated a little south of the center of the State. It is 

 about twenty-two miles long by twenty miles broad, and through the middle of its eastern two-thirds, 

 running nearly north and south, is the trough of the Scioto River. This valley comprises thousands of 

 acres of fertile corn land, under fine cultivation. Going eastward out of this valley, the ground gradually 

 rises, and at a distance varying at different points from one-half to three miles or more, the margin of 

 a level plateau, which extends to the rolling country of Fairfield County, is met with. On the west, 

 a similar rise and a similar plateau exist, but the plateau is much larger, and is divided into small 

 valleys by two creeks of considerable size, which flow to the river. The land of the county contains 

 much timber, but no very large tracts now remain. The ground under cultivation, grows corn, wheat 

 barley, rye, oats, buckwheat, broom-corn, and timothy, clover, and blue-grass. The valley, w^hich is 

 overflowed annually, is chiefly sowed in maize and broom-corn, the wheat and other grains bein^- 



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