40 The Wilson Bulletin. 



wholly within the wide gorge, afford feeding grounds for 

 many winter birds. 



Chance Creek, a tributary of Vermillion River, forms a 

 strong contrast to the river just described. Its gorge is nar- 

 row and deep, with heavily timbered, almost precipitous 

 slopes. The more level borders of this gorge are timbered 

 with hickory and oak, a few beach trees, besides others, and 

 a bountiful supply of wild grapes and the bitter sweet. Or- 

 chards also border the gorge, alternating with cultivated 

 fields. The gorge itself is plentifully supplied with red and 

 white cedars and hemlocks, besides many species of decid- 

 uous trees. Here evergreen timber, tortuous course, and 

 IOO feet depth combine to form an ideal protection from 

 any winter blast. Food, also, is abundant. The many 

 sheer precipices exposed to the sun's heat, afford snowless 

 retreats in the worst storms. The remainder of this route 

 to the lake shore lies across open fields and upland woods 

 over the sandstone knolls and deserted quarries where no 

 attempt is made to hinder the rank and tangling vegetation. 

 No better winter residence could be imagined for the thicket- 

 loving birds than these tangles. One cannot beat through 

 them. Persuasion is the only successful method of deal- 

 ing with the birds here. 



Beaver Creek presents the characters of Black River in its 

 upper and lower reaches, but modified Chance Creek charac- 

 ters along its middle third. Here one finds two small hem- 

 lock groves which afford shelter for the hawks and owls. 

 Crows also winter here. Food seems to be abundant every- 

 where. A day spent along its course is sure to bring sur- 

 prises. 



The uplands of the county, or the parts of it studied, are 

 a succession of four fairly level terraces to the lake shore. 

 Except along the course of the old lake beaches the country 

 is about three-fourths cultivated fields to one-fourth wood- 

 land. The woods are, generally speaking, the remnants of 

 the original forest which occupy land hardly fit for the 

 plow if it were cleared. It is either swampy, or too thin soil. 



