22 THE AUDUBON BULLETIN 
Appalachians from Pennsylvania southward, never having been glaciated, 
were the sources of the rehabilitation of the northern part of the continent 
that had been devastated by the Labrador and other ice sheets. On top 
of the Smokies the vegetation is akin to that of the Far North, while at 
their feet it is almost sub-tropical. Accompanying this marvelous natural 
primeval mountain and forest panorama are the quaint and fascinating 
people who have, because of their isolation, remained at a stationary de- 
velopment, which will rapidly disappear as the Park brings its thousands 
of visitors. 
Naturally, one would think that the streams in the Smokies would 
be part of the Atlantic coast drainage system, as it is only 250 miles to 
the Carolina coast. 
The drainage from both sides of the Smokies through the many creeks 
and larger streams, finally through the Tennessee River reach the Ohio River 
at Paducah, Kentucky, so that actually the Smoky Mountains have a 
close association to the Ohio River basin. ‘The name of the mountains, 
while indicating that it came from a smoky condition prevalent through 
most of the Summer, is in that sense a misnomer, as the haze is entirely 
atmospheric. In the Smokies the haze is white, while in the sister Blue 
Ridge Mountains the haze is bluish. 
Not elsewhere in the United States is there a region of more varied 
and compelling interest than the New Great Smoky Mountain National 
Park, which, when completed, will contain more than 450,000 acres, 
making it one of the largest parks in area. Aside from its unique attrac- 
tions, it has the additional distinction of being the first large National 
Park to be established east of the Mississippi River. 
The writer in October made his twenty-first visit to the Smokies. 
The region is so vast that a lifetime would not exhaust the possibilities 
for new discoveries and thrills. 
A member of the staff of the Chicago Academy of Sciences, Edwin 
Komarek, in March and April, 1931, conducted a survey of the small 
animal and reptile life of the Leconte Mountain region in the Smokies, 
and during the Spring, Summer and Autumn Dr. Herman S. Pepoon, 
author of the Flora of the Chicago Region, made a list of the plants of the 
same area, enumerating almost 1,500 in five months. 
For the seeker for biological lore, for the tourist whose object is a new 
place to motor, for those interested in early pioneer history, the Smokies 
have a strong appeal. ‘The days are warm, but because of the elevation 
the nights are always cool. ‘The intervening country between Chicago 
and the new park is all attractive, the railway trip is delightful, and by 
motor one can go all the way over fine, well-marked and well-graded high- 
ways. See the wonders of your own country before going abroad. 
