THE VACATION SEASON. 
471 
hundred and eighty-eight miles, through the counties of Lycoming, Clinton, Cam¬ 
eron, Elk, McKean, Warren and Erie. This line traverses a region of remarkably 
varied and most charming mountain and river scenery. From the elevated site of 
Kano the road descends in steep grades and penetrates some of the richest and most 
interesting oil and natural gas fields in the McKean-Warren district. No section of 
Pennsylvania affords a better field of research for the student of natural history, or, 
on the other hand, offers more inducements to the devotees of rod and gun, than 
the territory from the great lumbering center, Williamsport, to the busy city of Erie. 
Lakk Erik and the Bay. 
Lake Erie has an area of about 9,000 square miles. It is a little larger than Lake 
Ontario, but considerably smaller than the three other great lakes to the north and 
westward. Its length is given as about 240 miles, with an average width of about 40 
miles; opposite Ashtabula, Ohio, it attains the greatest width, being, it is said, 58 
miles. “The fisheries of the lake are of vast importance, surpassing in extent those 
of any other of the great lakes, or of any other body of fresh water in the world.” 
The line of the coast in our state is notable for its evenness, which is broken only in 
the neighborhood of Erie, where, to the southwest of the city, the peninsula 
(Presque Isle, or almost an island, as it is often when the water is high) runs off 
in a northeasterly and easterly course, “so as to almost include a body of water 
four or five miles long, and from one to two miles wide. As this has a depth suffi¬ 
cient to admit the largest vessels, it forms an excellent harbor, one of the best upon 
the lakes, variously known as Erie Bay, Presque Isle Bay and Erie harbor.” The 
mirA r flats adjacent to the mouth of Mill creek, a small stream which discharges its 
waters, with much garbage, into the bay, between the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Home 
and the iron ore dock, are common feeding grounds for different kinds of water 
birds, during migration as well as at other periods. 
Good hotel accommodations can be secured in Erie city at reasonable rates ; boats 
and competent boatmen may always be obtained at moderate prices. The Peninsula, 
a great arm extending about six miles from the mainland into the lake, forms the 
northern boundary of Presque Isle Bay, a locality famous for its good fishing and a 
common resort (as noted on preceding pages) for many kinds of water birds. 
Several ponds on the Peninsula, which have been sown in recent years with wild 
rice (Zizania aquatica, Linn.), are favorite feeding places for different species of 
Avild ducks. Nowhere in the state except along the Dehvware river, in the vicinity 
of Chester city, are Sora or Carolina Rails as plentiful in the late summer or early 
autumn as they are in these rice-groAvn x>onds. On the sand bars, muddy flats and 
gravelly shores, shore birds congregate in large numbers and afford excellent sport 
to gunners. 
Kane. 
Colonel Thomas I,. Kane founded and laid out the town of Kane, McKean county, 
Avhere he raised, in the spring of 1861, a regiment of hunters, trappers and loggers, 
known as the “Bucktails,” which became famous for their great bravery, skill as 
marksmen, and unusual powers of endurance. Kane, ninety-five miles from the 
metropolis of the lake, is situated at an elevation of two thousand and one feet 
above the level of the sea. It is the highest point reached by the Philadelphia 
and Erie railroad. Dainty and sprightly warblers and many other species of wild 
birds, Avhose shoAvy garbs or rare vocal powers make them particular objects of 
interest, are abundant in the extensive hemlock and hard wood forests of this 
attractive resort. To the east of the town is a large tract known as the “Wild Cat 
Country.” In this tract the tourist Avill frequently meet with straggling individuals, 
or sometimes small flocks, of Avild pigeons, * which, until within a few years, Avere 
found in countless numbers in McKean and neighboring counties. 
* See pages 111 and 112. 
