NATIVE BROOKS. 113 



two little brooks join in the woods and flow into that arm of the Kill 

 that reaches so far into the Island. The last oppossum is said to 

 have been killed in this vicinity and as late as 1881 the night herons 

 made their home near its banks. The deserted nests in young 

 swamp oaks often several in a tree and an occasional one in a white 

 birch or cedar, may still be seen. The people in the neighborhood 

 gathered their eggs and beating them together fed them to the cows, 

 and the Italians also ate many. They are as large as the eggs laid 

 by many breeds of hens, so a veiy feAV would make a meal. These 

 birds utter a dismal "qua," and always seem sad, sitting motionless 

 on the trees through, tlie day until evening, when they go to fish in 

 the Kills. 



There is a dark, gloomy old house in the woods near this brook, 

 where some of the Italians lived. It is now given over to chimney 

 swallows and wasps and the carpenter bees have bored their tunnels 

 in the boards for many years. One of these boards has been tun- 

 neled sixty-five times, the work of many pleasant Summer days. 



Woodland, brooks and springs are not only beautiful and inter- 

 esting, bnt they play no unimportant part in the household economy 

 aud their sanitary condition is of great moment. Dairies are named 

 after them, and citizens can choose their water supply with great 

 accuracy. Many a cow has done the trustful purchaser of her lac- 

 teal product a great injustice by standing over night with her feet in 

 the water of some pond or little purling stream. The dairyman will 

 tell you that it is done to keep the flies off but " Bosh," "Cush," and 

 "Speckled Jenny," only smile with a sort of increased dividend 

 expression when slyly interrogated on this point. 



In April the Blood root blossoms and its single leaf often closely 

 clasps the flower stem forming a sort of green collar. It is a dainty 

 flower, but none too choice to deck the steep hill sides of the crooked 

 and shaded ravine where it grows in greatest profusion. This is 

 Blood-root Valley and Blood-root Valley brook, along the course of 

 which it is said a British messenger in Revolutionary days traveled 

 on his way from camp to camp. This stream, which is often dry in 

 Summer, also rises near the highest point and goes to form the Rich- 

 mond brook. The drainage of the district was formerly collected in 

 a pond, used by a saw mill, of which there is now only a few beams 

 left and the dam is broken. About 1870 the boys bathed in 



