﻿488 
  FOETT- 
  SEVENTH 
  REPORT 
  ON 
  THE 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM. 
  

  

  the 
  wide 
  gently 
  west 
  sloping 
  valley 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  head 
  branches 
  of 
  

   the 
  Schoharie 
  creek. 
  They 
  present 
  an 
  unsurpassed 
  illustration 
  

   of 
  stream-robbing, 
  for 
  they 
  have 
  cut 
  off 
  the 
  upper 
  waters 
  of 
  

   these 
  Schoharie 
  branches 
  and 
  carry 
  them 
  directly 
  to 
  the 
  Hudson. 
  

   This 
  is 
  also 
  the 
  case 
  with 
  the 
  Sawkill 
  in 
  the 
  center 
  of 
  "Wood- 
  

   stock 
  township, 
  where 
  it 
  has 
  tapped 
  the 
  headwaters 
  of 
  the 
  

   Beaverkill 
  over 
  falls 
  into 
  a 
  gorge 
  with 
  walls 
  800 
  to 
  900 
  feet 
  in 
  

   height. 
  

  

  The 
  steep 
  eastern 
  front 
  of 
  the 
  Catskill 
  mountains 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  

   their 
  most 
  notable 
  features 
  and 
  it 
  adds 
  greatly 
  to 
  their 
  promi- 
  

   nence. 
  In 
  the 
  northern 
  Catskills 
  the 
  front 
  rises 
  abruptly 
  from 
  

   1500 
  to 
  2500 
  feet 
  out 
  of 
  a 
  plain 
  of 
  which 
  the 
  average 
  altitude 
  is 
  

   about 
  450 
  feet 
  above 
  tide 
  level. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  relatively 
  even 
  slope 
  

   comprising 
  a 
  great 
  succession 
  of 
  steep, 
  narrow 
  terrace 
  scarps 
  

   which 
  are 
  broken 
  only 
  by 
  the 
  Kaaterskill 
  and 
  Plattekill 
  gorges. 
  

   In 
  the 
  southern 
  Catskills 
  the 
  front 
  has 
  a 
  similar 
  abruptness 
  but 
  

   its 
  slope 
  is 
  broken 
  by 
  long 
  spurs. 
  

  

  The 
  belt 
  lying 
  east 
  of 
  the 
  Catskills 
  is 
  a 
  high 
  plateau 
  with 
  its 
  

   surface 
  broken 
  by 
  low, 
  wide 
  terraces 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  crossed 
  by 
  the 
  

   streams 
  in 
  deep 
  rocky 
  gorges. 
  It 
  is 
  terminated 
  eastward 
  by 
  

   very 
  steep 
  slopes 
  which 
  extend 
  across 
  the 
  country 
  from 
  northeast 
  

   to 
  southwest 
  as 
  a 
  prominent 
  escarpment. 
  The 
  valley 
  at 
  its 
  foot 
  

   is 
  continuous 
  across 
  the 
  county 
  and 
  is 
  occupied 
  in 
  greater 
  part 
  

   by 
  the 
  middle 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  Rondout 
  creek 
  and 
  lower 
  Esopus 
  

   creek. 
  The 
  ridges 
  eastward 
  are 
  a 
  succession 
  of 
  long 
  north 
  and 
  

   south 
  trending 
  ranges 
  of 
  moderate 
  height. 
  The 
  eastward 
  range 
  

   presents 
  a 
  limestone 
  cliff 
  of 
  greater 
  or 
  less 
  elevation 
  to 
  the 
  east- 
  

   ward 
  through 
  the 
  greater 
  part 
  of 
  its 
  course. 
  These 
  ranges 
  expand 
  

   and 
  rise 
  into 
  the 
  Sha 
  wan 
  gunk 
  mountain 
  north 
  of 
  Rosendale, 
  and 
  

   this 
  mountain 
  is 
  a 
  prominent 
  feature 
  in 
  the 
  south 
  -central 
  townships. 
  

   In 
  its 
  broader 
  portion 
  it 
  comprises 
  several 
  ridges 
  and 
  attains 
  an 
  

   elevation 
  of 
  over 
  2200 
  feet. 
  It 
  has 
  a 
  slope 
  westward 
  to 
  the 
  

   Rondout 
  valley 
  and 
  presents 
  to 
  the 
  eastward 
  a 
  vertical 
  escarp- 
  

   ment 
  of 
  conglomerate 
  surmounting 
  long 
  slopes 
  of 
  shales. 
  It 
  

   narrows 
  greatly 
  near 
  the 
  southern 
  border 
  of 
  the 
  county, 
  and 
  

   extends 
  far 
  to 
  the 
  southward 
  as 
  a 
  narrow 
  single-crested 
  ridge 
  

   with 
  long 
  western 
  slope 
  and 
  an 
  east-facing 
  escarpment 
  at 
  the 
  

   west 
  of 
  its 
  eastern 
  slopes. 
  

  

  