157
Peterborough, New Hampshire
1898.
July 5 to
Aug. 15
(No. 5) 
  At Cunningham Pond, too, I [delete]have[/delete] passed very many
pleasant and profitable hours. At first sight it did not
attract me for its shore lines are straight and angular,
most of its northern side is bordered by open farming land,
and its western end is disfigured by a row of cheap
summer cottages; but the southern and eastern shores are
as primitive and unspoiled as are the shore of
Lake Umbagog.
[margin]Cunningham
Pond.[/margin]
  Along the southern shore the land rises rather sharply to
the crest of a ridge and the slope is everywhere densely
wooded with pines, hemlocks, spruces, beeches, red and rock
maples, paper birches, a few black birches, poplars, etc. The spruces and hemlocks predominate
and many of them are of large size. The trees not only
came quite to the water's edge but many of them stretch
their branches low out over the pond forming pretty bowers
beneath which a boat may float in the densest shade,
even at noontide. In places the water leaves the sides
of huge, lichen-covered boulders or washes against banks
covered with rich green masses spangled with the pretty
white flowers of Dalibarda repens; in other an undergrowth
of mountain holly, Viburnums (cassinoides et lantanoides)
witch hazel, Mountain ash, Cassandra and yew, with an
occasional high blueberry or striped maple, forms a solid
wall of foliage fronting the outer lighter and completely
filling in the vertical space between the ground or water
and the lower branches of the trees. A week ago the 
mountain holly bushes were thickly studded with crimson
berries but these are now (Aug 10th) falling fast or else the birds
are eating them. I doubt if it can be the birds for
they seem to avoid these woods. Indeed I have found there only
a Wood Thrush, a family of Robins, & one or two Red-eyed Vireos.