A SUMMER DRIVE IN THE LAKE COUNTRY. 941 
On our way to Cortland we went a few miles out of 
the course to enjoy the drive over the rocky road along 
the eastern shore of the lake from Ithaca to Ludlow- 
ville. It gave us fine views of the lake and of the 
western shore. 
VI. 
Hills are a necessary feature in a pleasant landscape. 
This fact has been emphasized in the mind during our 
few days’ stayin this thriving, busy village of Cortland. 
Look whichever way you will, your eyes rest on near 
or distant hills, a few still crowned with dark forests, 
but most of them smiling under cultivation. The vil- 
lage is situated in a broad and fertile valley, through 
which the clear, bright waters of the Tioughnioga 
River flow. Why the Indians called this river O’nan- 
no-gi-is-ka, meaning shagbark hickory, is a query, as 
there are few, if any, hickories in the county, the tim- 
ber being principally maple, beech, basswood, white 
ash, and wild cherry: but there is no accounting for 
names. A stranger passing through this county might 
think by the guide boards at the corners of the country 
roads that he was traveling in the “Old World,” so 
generally did the early settlers appropriate classical 
names in their local nomenclature. The townships in 
this county are Virgil, Homer, Solon, Tully, Lapeer, 
Marathon, Truxton, Cincinnatus, etc. Rhe villages have 
been equally honored. Two Cincinnatuses nestle near 
