water shells, of the genera Unto, Melimia, Lymncea, etc., identical in 

 species with those still inhabiting the river. The vegetation of the 

 island is that then which might be expected to luxuriate upon a 

 deep calcareous soil, enriched with an abundance of organic matter. 



On either side of the river, following its course northerly, for a 

 long distance, the same deposit is met with, alternating with 

 I (.itches from which it has been removed, and in which the under- 

 lying rock has but a scanty covering of soil. Near DeVaux 

 College, and immediately above the Devil's Hole, near Lewiston, the 

 rock is almost naked. Yet, even in such places, growing in the crevices 

 of the rock or fringing the verge of the chasm, are to be found some 

 of our most interesting plants. In some places, long since the 

 chasm was excavated, the high rocky bank has given way, through 

 the action of small streams of water, and perhaps by the operation 

 of other causes, forming sheltered recesses of considerable extent, 

 in which a rich humus has accumulated, supporting a dense growth 

 of timber, and giving a congenial situation to some of our rarer 

 plants. Among such places may be named the Devil's Hole, 

 Foster's Flat, above Queenston, and the whirlpool wood, on the 

 Canadian side. 



The Niagara Escarpment, as it has been called by the geologists 

 of the State of New York, known at Lewiston as the " Mountain " 

 and in Canada as " Queenston Heights," presents some features 

 entitled to notice in this place. At the point where the river 

 makes its way through it, its height above Lake Ontario is 374 

 feet, and above Lake Erie, 32 feet. Though it presents a northerly 

 exposure, yet among the plants, growing upon its talus and below, 

 are a number which belong rather to the south and southwestward, 

 and are much more abundant in Ohio than in Western New York. 

 The fact may be explained by the higher annual temperature at 

 Queenston and Lewiston and thence northward to Lake Ontario, 

 than prevails at the Falls or immediately southward. 



The flora of Goat Island presents few plants which may be 

 called uncommon in Western New York. For the rarer plants, 

 included in the Catalogue, other localities must be visited. But it 

 is still true that Goat Island is very rich in the number of its 

 species. Probably no tract of land in its vicinity, so restricted in 

 area, can be found, exhibiting so large a number. Its vernal 

 beauty is attributable, not merely to its variety of plants, conspicu- 

 ous in flower, but also to the extraordinary abundance in which 



