lO The Ornithology of Chester County 



latter region spring the main branches of the 

 Brandywine creek, which flows in a southeasterly 

 direction and for 35 miles drains a large portion of 

 the county; the only extensive marsh land (several 

 hundred acres) lies near its source. The French, 

 Pickering and Valley are the most important creeks 

 flowing into the Schuylkill, and at Valley Forge 

 where the latter creek empties into the river, the 

 elevation is less than 75 feet. In recent times the 

 Rough-winged Swallow has been the most character- 

 istic bird of the Schuylkill river banks. 



The southern part of the county is only less undul- 

 ating ; the eastern section drained by the headwaters 

 of the Darby, Crum, Ridley and Chester creeks, 

 which, with the united streams of the Brandywine 

 river, the Red Clay and the White Clay creeks; 

 flow into the Delaware. The Big Elk creek empties 

 into the head of the Chesapeake bay, and the Octor- 

 aro into the Susquehanna river. It is from this 

 region that we occasionally have record of strag- 

 glers from the Austroriparian fauna. 



While the county is abundantly watered by sma,ll 

 streams, the absence of large bodies of water ac- 

 count for the comparative scarcity of water fowl 

 and shore birds. As early as 1748, according to 

 Petpr Kalm, the woods were mainly deciduous, ^nd 

 free of underbrush on account of the annual burn- 

 ing indulged in by the small bands of the Lenni 

 Lenapes located in Willistown and along the 

 Brandywine. 



The Chester Valley and Brandywine hills are 

 famous breeding grounds of the Turkey Vulture, 



