120 
THE CABINET OF NATURAL HISTORY, 
In extracting these remarks, it may not be amiss to ob- 
serve, that every season has its peculiar characteristic, and 
it is asserted by an intelligent observer, that the same 
augury which in a fair season foretels fair, will, in a rainy 
one, presage wet weather; therefore the characteristic of 
the season ought to be pointed out before the quality of 
the weather can be prognosticated. 
AN EXCURSION TO LAKE GEORGE. 
It was a beautiful morning in the month of August, 
that I set out from Saratoga, in company with a pleasant 
little party, on a visit to Lake George. Few who have 
read or travelled in any degree, are ignorant how much 
classic ground lies between the two places, — and our inte- 
rest and attention were kept much occupied by various 
objects along the road, until we reached Glenn’s Falls. This 
is decidedly one of the wildest and most romantic cascades 
we have ever beheld. The water is broken up and thrown 
about from rock to rock in the most picturesque and fan- 
ciful manner. Cooper has given a very lively and faith- 
ful description of this beautiful fall, in his “Last of the 
Mohicans.” I had the volume with me, and read his 
portraiture as I stood on the bridge near the cascade, and 
had of course an excellent opportunity of judging of the 
truth and justice of the picture. After dining at this place, 
we resumed our road, and reached Lake George, about the 
middle of the afternoon. It is truly one of the most en- 
chanting scenes in the whole country, — presenting a beau- 
tiful sheet of pure water, sui'rounded by mountains, which 
are clothed in the richest livery of nature. If a man has 
the least “ music in his soul,” such a spot as this is enough 
to awaken in him at least the feeling, if not the actual per- 
petration of poetry. I pity the being who can look upon 
such a scene unmoved or ungratified. 
Towards evening we procured a boat, and set out, ladies 
and all, on a fishing excursion. Nothing, perhaps, can be 
clearer than its waters of this charming lake; — as you 
glide gently over its surface, you can distinctly perceive 
the bottom, at the distance of many feet, and may observe 
the active tenants of the limpid element pursuing their ra- 
pid and not ungraceful gambols around and beneath your 
boat. We had pretty good sport, — and although none of 
us professed anglers, hauled in the perch in considera- 
ble numbers. It was not a little amusing to observe the 
animated zeal with which the ladies entered into the occu- 
pation, and to notice the great eagerness they manifested 
for success, and the alarm which its attainment occasioned 
them. We found it very necessary, when any one of 
them was so fortunate as to secure an unwary straggler, 
to be on the watch, — for as soon as their rods were suffi- 
ciently elevated to raise their prey out of the water, the 
little dangler came dying about among our heads, threat- 
ening us with no very agreeable salute, until some gentle- 
man of the company had secured him, and delivered him 
over to the fair captor, who was generally too much afraid 
of her prize to take him into actual possession. After two 
or three hours employed in fishing, and rowing about the 
lake, we returned to a comfortable supper at the hotel, 
and in the evening were entertained with an exhibition 
of the wonderful echo at this place.' On the firing of a 
gun, the sound reverberated for a considerable distance 
along the opposite shore, then seemed to return, and finally 
appeared to run back into the woods immediately across. 
In the morning, with the exception of the ladies, we 
betook ourselves again to the lake, with our boat and our 
rods, — but unaccompanied by the success of the preced- 
ing evening. The perch and the trout kept wearily out of 
the way, and we returned, after a considerable time fruit- 
lessly expended, with a very moderate specimen of our 
abilities in the meditative art of angling. Highly gratified 
with our short visit to the lake, we again took carriage, 
and made our way back to Saratoga. W. 
RATTLESNAKES. 
Few persons are aware of the existence of Rattlesnakes 
near Philadelphia. The writer has in his possession the 
rattles taken from a snake about thirty inches in length, 
killed by a farmer of New-Jersey, within twelve miles of 
this city. This gentleman last year, also killed another on 
the same tract of land, which had thirteen rattles. It was 
discovered on a private road which crossed his land; the 
extremities of the snake reached bejmnd each rut of the 
road, and was supposed to measure six feet in length. 
PARTRIDGES. 
A short excursion to the country will convince any one, 
that there may be anticipated a good fall’s shooting at these 
birds. From some districts, I have been told by farmers, 
that they have never known a season of so great plenitude 
as the present. The writer himself counted no less than 
a dozen different male birds in one neighbourhood last 
week. This rapid increase is owing altogether to the 
care of farmers, and the forbearance of Sportsmen; and it 
is to be hoped the approaching fall will pass over, without 
marking the destruction of many of these birds. 
