5 
water shells, of the geiiera Unio, Melania, Lymneea, 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 
patches 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 
rockisalmost 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 1s 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 
@ueenston 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 
