52 MEMOIRS OF THE NUTTALL ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB. 



more interesting species which have been found breeding here within compara- 

 tively recent years are the Black Duck, the Bittern, the Marsh Hawk, the White- 

 eyed Vireo and the Short-billed Marsh Wren. At the height of the migration 

 in May the willows along the causeway attract a large number and variety of 

 northern-bound Warblers of which the Black-poll, Black and Yellow, Yellow- 

 rump, Canadian and Wilson's Blackcap, with the Northern Water-thrush, occur 

 most regularly and frequently. As the meadow is also bordered on every side 

 by sparsely populated country, abounding in woods, thickets, cedar pastures and 

 grassy fields, it offers to the bird lover one of the most attractive and interest- 

 ing resorts to be found anywhere, at the present time, within easy reach of 

 Cambridge. 



Beaver Brook Reservation and Waverley Oaks. 



If one follows the course of Beaver Brook from the lower end of Rock 

 Meadow to the railroad just beyond the village of Waverley, he will pass two 

 small ponds separated by an ancient dam which within my recollection was sur- 

 mounted by an old grist mill. From the lower pond the brook escapes over 

 another dam, and after plunging down a nearly vertical ledge, in a succession of 

 falls, well worth seeing when the water is high, it winds through a deep, wooded 

 ravine before crossing the road on its way to the Waverley Oaks. The oaks, 

 the ravine, the waterfall and the two ponds are all included in what is now 

 known as the Beaver Brook Reservation. This small but exceedingly attractive 

 public park was planned and developed by the late Charles Eliot. It forms a 

 fitting monument to his genius as a landscape architect. His rare good taste 

 and wise forbearance in dealing with naturally beautiful scenery are especially 

 shown by his treatment of the western shores of the ponds and the wooded 

 gorge below the waterfall, where practically nothing has been disturbed. Even 

 the severe trimming of the Waverley Oaks, which caused some adverse criticism 

 at the time, has been justified by the subsequent improvement, in respect to 

 vigor and symmetry, in these noble old trees. It has been difficult for some of 

 us to comprehend, however, why Mr. Eliot should have considered it desirable 

 to remove the picturesque, rocky island which formerly adorned the upper mill- 

 pond. 



The Beaver Brook Reservation has always been a favorite haunt for birds. 

 Its woods and thickets continue to be visited by a number of interesting species. 



