﻿NIAGARA 
  FALLS 
  AND 
  VICINITY 
  II 
  

  

  Niagara. 
  The 
  botanist 
  will 
  here 
  find 
  a 
  greater 
  variety 
  of 
  plants 
  

   within 
  a 
  given 
  space 
  than 
  in 
  almost 
  any 
  other 
  district.^ 
  

  

  But 
  it 
  is 
  in 
  the 
  wonderful 
  views 
  of 
  the 
  falls 
  and 
  the 
  rapids 
  and 
  

   the 
  gorge 
  which 
  can 
  be 
  obtained 
  from 
  this 
  island, 
  that 
  its 
  chief 
  at- 
  

   traction 
  lies. 
  The 
  various 
  view 
  points^ 
  are 
  easily 
  found, 
  and 
  the 
  

   stroller 
  about 
  Goat 
  island 
  would 
  best 
  com'e 
  on 
  them 
  unawares. 
  

   Mention 
  may 
  be 
  made 
  of 
  the 
  glimpses 
  of 
  the 
  American 
  falls 
  ob- 
  

   tained 
  from 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  stairway 
  leading 
  to 
  Luna 
  island, 
  as 
  well 
  

   as 
  from 
  the 
  island 
  itself, 
  and 
  the 
  panorama 
  of 
  rapids, 
  falls 
  and 
  gorge 
  

   from 
  the 
  Terrapin 
  rocks 
  at 
  the 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  Horseshoe 
  falls. 
  Every 
  

   visitor 
  is 
  advised 
  to 
  descend 
  the 
  Biddle 
  stairway 
  and 
  view 
  the 
  falls 
  

   from 
  below. 
  No 
  charge 
  is 
  made 
  unless 
  one 
  wishes 
  to 
  enter 
  the 
  

   Cave 
  of 
  the 
  winds, 
  a 
  most 
  thrilling 
  experience 
  for 
  a 
  person 
  of 
  nerve 
  

   and 
  one 
  unparalleled 
  by 
  any 
  other 
  which 
  may 
  legitimately 
  be 
  ob- 
  

   tained 
  at 
  Niagara. 
  But, 
  even 
  if 
  one 
  does 
  not 
  care 
  to 
  go 
  behind 
  

   the 
  falls, 
  a 
  visit 
  to 
  the 
  foot 
  of 
  the 
  stairway, 
  and 
  a 
  walk 
  along 
  the 
  

   path 
  at 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  vertical 
  clif¥ 
  of 
  limestone 
  will 
  well 
  repay 
  the 
  

   exertion 
  of 
  the 
  cHmb. 
  Many 
  noble 
  views 
  of 
  the 
  gorge 
  and 
  the 
  

   falls 
  may 
  be 
  obtained 
  from 
  the 
  stairway, 
  while 
  from 
  certain 
  points 
  

   below, 
  inipressive 
  sights 
  of 
  the 
  small 
  central 
  fall 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  had. 
  

   Here 
  too 
  can 
  be 
  seen 
  the 
  undermining 
  action 
  of 
  the 
  spray, 
  which 
  

   removes 
  the 
  soft 
  shale, 
  leaving 
  the 
  limestone 
  ledges 
  projecting 
  till 
  

   in 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  time 
  they 
  fall 
  for 
  want 
  of 
  support. 
  On 
  the 
  talus 
  

   slopes 
  at 
  the 
  foot 
  of 
  the 
  clifif 
  good 
  specimens 
  of 
  minerals 
  and 
  oc- 
  

   casional 
  fossils 
  may 
  generally 
  be 
  obtained. 
  

  

  After 
  leaving 
  the 
  Biddle 
  stairway, 
  and 
  the 
  Terrapin 
  rocks, 
  the 
  

   visitor 
  will 
  proceed 
  southward 
  along 
  the 
  river 
  bank 
  to 
  the 
  bridge 
  

   leading 
  to 
  the 
  Three 
  Sister 
  islands. 
  On 
  the 
  way 
  the 
  geologist 
  will 
  

   pause 
  where 
  a 
  wood-road 
  leads 
  off 
  to 
  the 
  left 
  into 
  the 
  famous 
  gravel 
  

   pit 
  of 
  Goat 
  island, 
  since 
  there 
  the 
  shell-bearing 
  gravels 
  are 
  ex- 
  

   posed.'2 
  

  

  ^A 
  catalogue 
  of 
  the 
  flowering 
  and 
  fern-like 
  plants 
  growing 
  without 
  culti- 
  

   vation 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  the 
  falls 
  of 
  Niagara, 
  by 
  David 
  F. 
  Day, 
  is 
  pub- 
  

   lished 
  in 
  the 
  14th 
  annual 
  report 
  of 
  the 
  commissioners 
  of 
  the 
  state 
  

   reservation. 
  In 
  this 
  a 
  total 
  of 
  909 
  species 
  are 
  recorded, 
  a 
  large 
  proportion 
  

   of 
  which 
  are 
  credited 
  to 
  Goat 
  island. 
  

  

  ^These 
  shells 
  are 
  described 
  in 
  chapter 
  5. 
  

  

  