Native Brooks. 77 



see grass and little bushes — great blue sky — nice." The 

 idea of sky was expressed by throwing his arm over his 

 head, and looking upward, and the little bushes were 

 compared to one near by. 



Willow brook is one of the best known streams on the 

 Island, and also one of the longest ; rising near the highest 

 point, it empties into that arm of Fresh Kill, known as 

 " Main Branch," having in all a course of about four miles. 

 At various times its water has been used by mills and small 

 factories, the best known of these being the gun factory 

 near the Willow Brook road, and the Crocheron mill, near 

 the Bull's Head, or Phoenix ville. This mill was standing 

 in 1884, though much decayed, and the Italians employed 

 on the proposed cross island railroad, made the building 

 their home. It is now fallen down, most of the timbers 

 removed, the wild flowers growing over the remaining ones, 

 and through the shaft -hole in the mill stone. By the pond, 

 that once served as a head of water for this mill, there 

 stands three trees of the river birch, which is not a com- 

 mon kind on the Island, though so plentiful along some of 

 the New Jersey rivers. Since these trees were discovered, 

 some others have been found, and along the Annadale 

 road, by a brook side, there are quite a number. They 

 always seem dissatisfied, as it were, with their bark, ap- 

 parently wishing to get rid of a portion of it, for it hangs in 

 loose pieces that flap in the wind. Perhaps this bark is 

 useful in retaining the rain that falls on it, as the tree is 

 a particularly moisture-loving species. 



A shag-bark hickory grows near by, and the nuts are re- 

 markable for their thin shells and large size. The wild mice 



