A .H»,y<,,^i^SlS^g^SfeJ;<.i;,^il 3 9002 07672 8006 It ^B ll P^ I'ttiSwi^*' - M &¦"¦;¦ imm r iliffiiiBMt C37H 2.^ APPENDIX TO THE HISTORY OF VERMONT, NATURAL, CIVIL AND STATISTICAL, 1853. BY ZADOCK THOMPSON. SSnrlingtnit: PUBLISHED BY THE AUTHOR. STACY & JAMESON, PRINTERS. 1853. Entered according to act of Congress, in the year 1853, by ZADOCK THOMPSON, in the Clerk's office ofthe District Court, for the District of Vermont. PREFACE. A little more than ten years haye now elapsed since the publication of my Natural, Civil and Statistical History of Vermont. In that -work I endeavored to collect and present as concisely and clearly as I -was able, and, at the same time, as fully as the state of kno-wledge and my prescribed limits -would permit — I. Au account of the Natural History of the State, embracing its physical geography, zoology, botany and mineralogy. II. The Ci-vil History of the State, comprehending the settlement of the ter ritory, the organization of the government, and the progress of legislation and improvement, together -with a full account of the controversy -with 'New York, the negotiations with tho British in Canada, and of our various political, literary and religious institutions. m. A Historical and Statistical Gazetteer, embracing afuU account of all the counties, towns, streams, &c., in the State, arranged in alphabetical order. Siuce the publication of that work, rail roads and the magnetic telegrapii have been introduced into the State, and very considerable changes have taken place. A Geological Survey ofthe State has been commenced, but was discontinued,-without any fiiU publication of the results ; in consequence of which, the greater part of the discoveries made and the facts elicited, have been lost to the State and the world ; while a very small additional appropriation in 1847, would have secured to the State a Final Report on the Geology of Vermont, which would have been not only creditable to the State Geologist, but an honor and treasure to the State. But notwithstanding the loss, which has been occasioned, by this penny -wise and pound foolish policy of the legislature, our general knowledge of the geology, and of the mineralogical productions of tho State, has been greatly enlarged by the information elicited and made public during the continuance of the survey. > During the last ten years, I have spent a large portion of my time in collecting and preserving tacts in relation to the natural and civil history of the State, thinking that the time might possibly come, when I should be warranted in tho publication of a new and improved edition of the whole work. But the new materials having largely accumulated, and the number of copies of the original work, onhand, being such as to afford no encouragement for a speedy republica tion of the entire work, I concluded to select some ofthe principal items into the form of an Appendix, which might be bound with the remaining copies of tho ori^al work, and also be bound separately for those who already have the origi nal work and desu*e the Appendix. The matter of the Appendix will be found, to belong almost entirely, to the de partment of Natural History. This is not owing to any lack of materials for making additions to tho other parts, but because those materials oould not be so conveniently used in their separate condition. Additions to a work of this nature PEELIMINAEY BEMAEKS. are, necessarily, fragmentary ; and to be used advantageously, they must be in corporated by re--writing the whole. But as this could not be done -without re printing the whole, I have selected, for the Appendix, such materials as I tliought would be most interesting and useful in their separate state ; and these, for the most part, relate to Natural History. Since the publication of my work in 1842, much light has been thrown upon the early history of our State by the antiquarian researches of Henry Stevens, Esq., and facts have been developed, which remove the mystery from certain transactions in our revolutionary struggles. But the introduction of these mat ters into the Appendix would require a repetition of much of the history of that period, to make it intelligible, and, consequently, more room than can be spared for it. The history of our legislation during the last ten years, if fully -written, would furnish an interesting and instructive chapter ; but that, too, is excluded for the want of room. Perhaps the most important acts of legislation -within the time, are those which relate to schools and the sale of alcoholic liquors. But, these several acts have not yet been fully tested by experience. The general school law of 1845, appeared to have been drawn with much care, and to promise an efiScient provision for the advancement of primary education in the State, and it is to be regretted that it had not been more fully tested, before it was mutilated by repeals and additional enactments ; and was violated by the body which enac ted it, by their neglect to appoint a State Superintendent of Schools. But in spite of all obstacles, I am happy in believing that the cause of education is advancing, and that one of the most e-fficienc causes of this advancement in our large villages, is the establishment of Union Schools. These schools fiimish to the children of the poor the same advantages which are enjoyed by those of the rich, for pursuing the higher branches of study, and thus afford a universal stim ulus in all the classes in the several schools, which form the union. To almost every article in the Gazetteer, alterations and additions might be made, but, for the reasons already stated, it was deemed inexpedient. If life and health should be spared for a few years longer, it would aiford me much sat isfaction to re-write the whole work, and, by incorporating in it the additional material, make it more worthy of the approval and patronage of my fellow citi zens, but, as the great expense would preclude me from the possibility of being able to publish a new edition, that satisfaction is not likely to be realized. Z. THOMPSON. Burlington, April 9, 1853, APPENDIX TO THOMPSON'S VERMONT. NATURAL HISTORY Topography. When the History of Vermont, to which this is an Appendix, -was published, in 1 842, the boundary line between the United States and the British provinces -was un settled, and in dispute between the two governments ; but in the latter part of the summer of that year, the matter -was ami cably arranged by a treaty, formed by Mr. Webster and Lord Ashburton, and ratified by the two governments. The northern boundary of the state was intended to be along the45th parallel of latitude, andwas supposed to be on that parallel till the sur vey of 1818 proved the 45th parallel to be some distance to the southward of what had been previously regarded as the northern boundary of the state, cutting off a strip through the -whole -vfidth, varying fi-om one-fourth of a mile to a few rods. By the treaty, the northern boundary of the state was established upon the old -well known line, without reference to the 45th parallel. This line was marked in 1845, by cutting away the timber, where it passed through forests, and by putting up cast iron posts at short distances through its whole length. The geological explorations, aud the rail road surveys, which have been made during the last ten years, have added much to our knowledge of the general topography of the state, and many objects of interest and value have been brought to light. Remeasure- ments have been made of several of our principal mountain summits, and their alti tudes ascertained with greater accuracy, probably, than before, and -¦•. number of important peaks haie, within that period, been measured for the first time. In addition to these measurements of isolated mountain summits, there have been reconnoisances and surveys made, in almost every direction, through the state, for the location of the various railroads -i^hich havebeen built, or are no-w building. The profiles of these roads, together with the profiles of the canal routes, which had been surveyed previously, have furnished the means for giving a very tolerable exhi bition of the elevation above the sea, ofthe principal places and most interesting ob jects in the state. In the following list of altitudes, those oi mountain summits are all derived from Barometrical measurements. The others are in part Barometrical ; but they are de rived principally from the various surveys for canals and railroads. Minute accuracy in the.5e altitudes above the sea, cannot be expected. They are, however, believed to be a near approximation to the truth, and to show with sufficient exactness the relative elevation of the different places and objects. 6 APPENDIX TO THOMPSON'S VERMONT. MOUNTAIN SUMMITS. MOUNTAIN PASSES. LAKES ANn PONDS. ALTITUDES ABOVE THE OCEAN. Mountain Summits. Mansfield, Thompson . Feet. 4348 4044 388-2 40834018 Chin, Nose,South Peak, " " Camel's Hump, Duxbury, " Jay Peak, Adams, Shrewsbury Peak, Killington " Sherburne, Partridge, 3924 Equinox, ManohesEerT " 3706 Ascutney, Windsor, " 3320 Snake Mt.,"Bridport, Adams, 1310 Buck Mt., Waltham, ~~^ Sugar Loaf, Charlotte, Thompson, Snake Hill, Milton, " Cobble, " " 1035 1003 912827 Passes over the Green Mountains. Lincoln, Adams, 2415 Granville, (C 2340 Peru, " 2115 Sherburne, Paxtridge, 1882 Walden, De WittCliijifin, 1615 Mt. Holly, (R. Road) Gilbert, 1415 Roxbury, (R. Road) 997 Williamstown, Johnson, 908 'tillages. Burlington Town House, Benedict, University, ~~" Milton Falls, Essex, Jericho Corners, Underhill Flat, Williston, Franklin, St. Albans, Highgate Springs, Swanton, E. Berkshire, Winooski Falls, Sheldon, Richmond, Waterbury,Middlesex, Montpelier, (Capitol,) Northfield, (Depot,) Braintree,West Randolph, Bethel, Royalton,White River Junction, Windsor,Bellows Falls, Woodstock,Brattleborough,Bennington, Manchester,Rutland, Thompson, 202 367 298 452604 665 402 430 370 160 160460 203 375 332 425 520540724732 678 556 476335288 225 400 160 432 65,0 500 Castleton, 475 Ludlow, 985 Prootorsville, 895 Chester, 670 Brandon, 460 Middlebury, 390 Vergennes, 225 Norwich, 400 Newbury, 420 Barnet, 460 St. Johnsbury, 585 Lyndon, 735 Barton, 953 Derby Centre, 975 " Line, 1050 Craftsbury Common, 1158 Troy, south, 740 Irasburgh, 875 Hardwick Hollow, 720 Hydepark, 560 Cambridge, 410 Johnson, 460 Lakes and Ponds. Champlain, Lake,* 90 Memphremagog '" 695 Joe's Pond, Cabot, 1544 Lyford's Pond, Walden, 1692 MoUey's Pond, Cabot, 1626 Winooski Pond, Peacham, 1410 Wells River Pond, Groton, 1000 Crystal Pond, Barton, 933 Mud Pond, Sutton, 1183 Savanna Pond, " 1210 WiUoughby Lake, Westmore, 1161 Elhgo Pond, Craftsbury, 893 Salem Pond, Salem, 967 Pensioners Pond, Charleston, 1140 Island Pond, Brighton, 1182 Lake Connecticut, head of Con. River J inN. H., 1589 Falls. Great Falls, Marshfield, (head,) 1074 (foot,) S71 Nat. Bridge FaUs, "Waterbury, (foot,) 345 Mclndoe's Falls, Barnet, (head,) 449 " " " (foot,) 436 20MUesEapids,Lunenburo:, (head,) 822 '' Barnet, (foot,) 486 Guildhall Fall, Guildhall, (head,) 835 *The level of Lnke Charaplain is taken for a basis Id many of the surveys, which h;ive been raade, for canals and i-aihMads, and their pi-ofiles indicate tlie height of itlaces above the lake. In cstimaHng, from these, the hcit^hts above the ocean, for tlie accompa nying tables, 90 feet arc added. The mean height of the lake above the ocean is frequently stated at 94 or 95 feet, but fi-om the data, to which I have had ac cess, I ara disposed to think that 90 feet is nearly tho true height. The change of level of the lake, that is, the difference between Uie extreme high wa ter and tho extreme low water mm'lvs, amounts to eight feet. NATURAL HISTORY. CLIMATE AND METE0B,0L0&T. EXTEEMES OS TEMPEBATUEE. CLIMATE AND METEOEOLOGY. A general account of the Climate and Meteorology of Vermont is given in Part I. page 9 to 23, to which the following tables and observations are now added : Monthly and Annual Mean Temperatures at Burlington, — continued from the table on page 9, Part I. January, February,March, April,May,June, July,August, September, October,November, December, 1842 22.3026.60 35.8044.6053.5063.80 70.00 70.10 57.30 17.50 34.4021.30 1843. 28.02 12.9525.6643.8553.92 618664.1667.78 59.59 42.8431.56 1844. 9.91 20.8331.00 49.50 58.5066.50 67.10 65.60 59.9047.00 34.10-23.40 1845. 21.36 1846. 19.77 22.63 15.05 34.09 43.8253.8165.2168.4069.4358.12 51.1539.26 17.81 47.7357.60 64.97 69.51 70.4564.7545.37 41.2623.43 Annual Temp. 45.60 43.25 4440 45.42 46.15 43.88 45.39 44.40 45.14 44.54 44.77 44.74 1847. 1848. 20.97 18.59 25.7337.4850.4064.15 71.03 67.62 58.8045..39.8427.00 24.17 21.0929.03 42.89 58.86 65.0268.39 66.82 56.41 47.24 34.81 30.01 1849. 15.06 14.34 31.6639.90•51.5966.76 72.7469 14 58.0247.1043.29 23.17 1850. 23.7424.3230.47 41.85 51.64 67.12 70.0366.03 59.6948.2540.38 18.65 1851, 1852, f^ y"; 19.60 26.0283.35 43.31 54.1362.97 67.40 65.6860.5851.09 31.74 18.58 14.36 23.19 28.50 39. §6 56.16 64.3471.0866.4459.42 47.95 35.5830.32 19.9320.46 30.83 42.12 55.1064.8069.0867.7359.32 47.40 36.39 23.69 The above results were deduced from three daily observations, made at sunrise, 1 p. M. and 9 in the evening, by the Author. The location is in latitude 44° 29' N. and lon gitude 73° 11' W., and is one mile eastward frora the shore of Lake Champlain, and elevated 256 feet above the lake, or 346 above the ocean. EXTEEMES OE TEMPEEATUEB. Greatest and Least Heat in the Shade, and the Hottest and Coldest Say in each year aince 1837 — 15 years. Year. Greatest Heat. Greatest Gold. Hottest Bay. Mean. Cold. D. mean. 1838 June 10 aud July 20, o 93 January 31. o -13 July 29, o 83 Jan. 30, -6 1839 .July 20, 91 January 24, -19i August 20, 78 Jan. 23, -4 J 1840 July 16, 94 January 18, -16 July 16, 81§ Jan. 16, -7 1841 Augast 18, 96 •January 4, -10 August 18, 82 Jan. 4, J 1842 .July 19, Aug. 26, 93 January 13, -11 July 19,Aug. m,m Jan. 13, -4| 1843 June 22, 90 Feb'ryl7, -17 June 22, 76 Feb. 17, 0 1844 June 19, 88 January 28, -24 June 19, m Jan. 29, 13f- 1845 July 12, 96 Decemb. 11, -18 July 21, 80 Dec. 11, -UJ 1846 August 5, 96 Feb. 10 & 19, -10 August 5, m Jan. 18, -5 1847 July 19, 98 Feb 'ry 16, -14 July 19, 83 Jan. 31, J 1848 .July 12,21,22: Au. 12 92 January 11, -25 June 18, 80 Jan. 10, -101 1849 July 12, 13, 100 Feb 'ry 17, -17 July 13, 87 Feb. 18, -7 185U •June 19, 93 February 6, -18 June 19, 81i Feb. 5, -4| 1851 September 10, 92 Feb8,Deo.26 -17 September 10 . m Feb. 8, -llj 1852 .June 16, 97 January 15, -17 June 15, aid Jan. 20, -54 By the above statement it will be seen, that, during the last fifteen years, the range of the Thermometer has been from 100° above to 25° below zero, equal to 125° ; and that the warmest day was the 13th of July, 1849, and the coldest day, the 29th of January, 1844, and that the difference between the mean temperature of those two days was 1005°. APPENDIX TO THOMPSON'S VERMONT. TEMPEKATURE AT NEWBUB.Y. FALL OP WATEK AT BURIINGTON. ANNUAL MEAN TEMPEEATUEB AND WEATHEE AT NEWBUEY. Year. THEEMOMETEE. WEATHEE. Mean heat. greatest. least. Range., Fair. Cloudy. Eain. Sdo\7. Sn. & Eain. o o o o O o o o o 1840 44.28 90 -33 123 169 196 96 32 6 1841 44.36 86 -22 108 146 219 78 46 4 1842 43.61 86 -19 108 163 202 101 49 7 1843 48.70 90 -25 115 157 208 77 57 5 1844 43.83 86 -26 112 160 206 106 31 2 1845 43.44 88 -28 116 142 223 100 47 5 1846 45.44 90 -20 110 149 216 87 42 4 1847 44.44 90 -22 112 144 221 106 42 6 1848 44.83 87 -32 119 165 201 107 56 6 1849 44.13 94 -21-33 115127 161156 204 99 61 2 10 yr. 44.20 94 209 96 51 5 The materials for the above table are derived from Meteorological observations made at Newbury, by Mr. Johnson, of that place, and published in the Annual Report of the Regents of the University of New York for 1850. These observations were continued through a period of twenty-seven years, but the earlier observations were made without a thermometer, and embraced only the clearness of the sky, the rains and snows, the course ofthe winds, the progress of vegetation, aurora borealis, and other rare phenomena. The mean temperature in the above table, is derived from three daily observations, made at 6 A. m., noon, and 6 p. M. This mean is probably a little higher than it would ha^e been if the ob servations had been made at sunrise, 1 p. M. and 9 p. m., as in the preceding table. By a comparison of the eight years, from 1842 to 1850, which are embraced in both tables, the mean annual temperature of Burlington appears to be about two-thirds of a degree warmer than Newbury, while the latitude of the place of observation in Burlington is 23' greater, and its altitude above the ocean about 75 feet less than the place of observation at Newbury. MONTHLY AND ANNUAL EALL OE WATER AT BUELINGTON. Continued from page 12, Part I. MONTHS. 1842. 1843. 1844. Inches 1845. Inches 1846. 1847. 1848.Inches 1849.Inches 1850.Inches 1851. 1852. Mean, 11 Yt5. Inches Inches iDcheE Inches Inches Inches Inches January, 1.04 0.71 2.29 2.3S 1.72 2.80 1.84 0.79 1.57 1.20 l.OE 1.58 February, 3.75 1.43 0.73 2.52 1.47 1.85 O.llC 0.41 1.79 1.90 1.6E 1.52 March, 1.97 2.12 2.35 2.48 2.20 2,10 2.44 2.14 1.11 0.67 1.92 1.96 April, 2.52 0.82 1.43 2.2i2 0.91 3.15 l.Of 0.47 2.41 1.67 1.16 1.62 May, 1.55 2.47 4.40 3.89 3.18 1.85 4.24 2.74 5.04 2.20: 0.71 2.90 June, 3.24 4.58 2.08 2.08 3.63 5.05 2.19 1.41 3.18 -.•33 4.76 3.59 'July, 4.62 2.59 5.35 4.51 5.08 4.05 3.57 1.7S 5.08 3.81 4.99 4.12 August, 1.74 2.09 8.46 2.37 0.48 3,12 4.40 5.69 0.89 1.92 1.50 2.51 September, 3.80 1.80 1.36 5.62 3.77 4.69 2.91 1.33 3.25 2.06 1.80 2.95 October, 4.10 5.03 5.11 2.26 2.05 3.69 2.59 5.32 8.11 3.56 4,11 4.23 November, 2.32 1.63 0 57 4.00 2.88 2.18 2.26 2.69 1.77 3.59| 2.90 2.43 December, 3.20 L48 2.08 2.21 1.68 4.07 2.95 l.GS 3.31 1.83j 2.26 2.41 33.85 •26.75 31.21 86.04 29.60 38.55 31.38 26.35i37.51J31.83 -28.82 31.82 By the above table it appears that the greatest amount of water in any one year was 38.55 inches in 1847, and the least 26.85 in., in 1849,— range 12.20 in. The greatest monthly amount was 8,11 inches, in October, 1850, and the least 0.41 in. in Pebruary, 1849 — range 7,70 inches. The proportion ofthe water, which falls in snow, is about one-fifth of the whole amount. The greatest rain-storms in the eleven years embraced in the above table, were on the 10th of July, 1844, when there fell 4.07 inches in twenty-four hours, and on the 22d and 23d of June, 1851, when the amount was 5.16 inches in thirty-sis hours. NATURAL HISTORY. FAIL OF SNOW. ADVANCE OF SPRING. EALL OE SNOW, AND DAYS OE SLEIGHING IN TEN SUCCESSIVE YEAES. Continued from page 12, Part I. MONTHS. 184-2-43 1843-44 1S44-45 1846^6|lS46-47 1847^8 1848^9 1849-50 1860-61 1851-62 Inches. Inches. Inches. Inches. Inches. Inches. Inches. Inches. Inches. Inches. October, 0 10 0 0 7 0- 0 0 5 0 November, 9 3 2 0 5 4 3 1 1 24 December, 47 18 13 86 22 13 18 19 48 14 January, 7 16 20 9 24 11 10 16 11 24 February, 20 13 22 24 25 19 10 18 8 17 Maroh, 38 18 12 4 22 20 7 12 14 22 April, 2 0 6 0 7 1 0 8 0 12 Total. 123 78 75 35 d. •73 112 68 16 d. 48 74 87 113' Sleighing, 102 d. 40 d. 30 d. 80 d. 61 d. 87 d. ADVANCE OE SPEIN6 EOE ELEVEN SUCCESSIVE YEAES. Continued from page 13, Part I. Barn lied Plums and Crab Common Eobins Bluebirds Swallows Currants Plums Cher •ies Apples Apples Years. seen. seen. seen. Blossom. Blossom. Blossom. Blossom. Blossom. 1842. March 13 March 13 May 2 May 11 May 14 May 27.May 29| 1843. April 12 April 12 8 " 15 May 17 " 26 1844. March 21 Maroh 25 April 25 April 25 Apr. 30 4 " 9 " 11 1845. 9 " 13 May 3 18 " 21 1846. '• 25 " 26 April 29 " 29 May 5 10 " 13 " 17 1847. " 25 " 25 May 4 May 16 " 20 22 " 26 " 28 1748. " 25 " 28 " 4 " 5 " 11 14 " 18 " 20 1849. " 14 " 26 " 10 " 20 " 28 26 .June 1 June i 1850. " 29 " 28 " 2 " 13 " 19 20 " 2 ¦' 4 1851. " 20 " 22 April 25 " 9 « -14 15 May 21 May 24 1852. " 16 " 17 " 30 " 16 " 18 20 " 23 " 27 Of our migratory birds, the Bob-o-liijk, Icterus agripennis, is undoubtedly one of the most regular in its return in the spring. In my account of that Bird, Part I, p. 70, it is said to make its appearance in the lat ter part of May. But from observations since made, and from information derived from others, I am satisfied that its arrival in Vermont very seldom varies more than two or three days from the 12th of May. Closing and Opening of Lake Champlain and Running of- the Line Steamers. — Continuedfrom page 14, Part I. Lake Closed. 184218431844 18451846 18471848 18491850 18511852 not clos. Feb. 16. Jan. 25. Feb. 3. Feb. 10. Feb. 15. Feb. 13, Feb. 7, not clos Feb. 1 Jan. 18 Lake Opened. Line boats oommen'd running. Apr. 22. ipr. 11. Mar.26, Mar.26Apr. 23 Feb. 26 Mar. 23 Mar. 12 Apr. 19 April 13. AprU 27. April 19. April 9. April 13. May ¦&*. April 8. April 10. April 15. April 7. May 3, Line Boats stop'd. Nov. 29. Nov. 30. Nov-. 29. Nov. 29. Dec. 2 Dec. 2' Dec. 8' Dec. 9' Nov. 28. Dec. 13 the lake opposite to Burlington. With the exception of 1885, this part of the lake has never become frozen entirely over earlier than the 1.5th of January, within the last thirty-six years. The mean time of closing for that period would fall on the 1st day of February. During four of the years it did not close at all. The narrower parts of the lake usually become frozen over so as to interrupt navigation, through its entire length, early in December, and most ofthe bays become covered with ice about the same time. The closing and opening of Lake Cham plain have reference to the broadest part of -* Although the Line Boats commenced running so late as the 3d of May, they were for several days after that unable to proceed farther north than Plattsbm-gh, on account of the ice. It was not till the 6th that they were able to pass through the whole length of the lake, and then only by cutting through the ice for a distance of nearly six miles. The boats were not able to reach St. Albans till the 10th, and ice remained in many of the bays up to that tune. 10 APPENDIX TO THOMPSON'S VERMONT SHELBURNE BAT. LAKE CHAMPLAIN PHENOMENA. The following record, kindly famished me by my friend Robert White, Esq., of Shelburne, exhibits the number of days, during which teams were able to pass upon the ice from Shelburne Harbor across the mouth of Shelburne Bay and the southeast ern part of Burlington Bay, to Burlington, in each year since 1835. Days Days Year, passable. Year, passable. In 1836, 76 In 1845, 12 1887, 81 1846, 36 1838, 47 1847, 67 1839, 61 1848, 16* 1840, 21 1849, 40 1841, 48 1850, not passa. 1842, 24 1851, 46 1843, 56 1852, 82 1844, 07 Lake Champlain Phenomena. In Part I, page 14, something was said respecting the sudden disappearance of the ice from Lake Champlain in the spring of some years, and an attempt was made to account for the phenomenon, without hav ing recourse to the absurd notion that the ice sinks. The explanations there given were founded, partly on observed facts, and partly on theoretic views. Additional ob servations have since been made, which, while they go to confirm the general theo retic principles, require some modifications of the results. It was there supposed that, when the geueral surface of the lake com menced freezing, the great body of the water below might be at a temperature 7° or 8° above the freezing point, and this, in accordance with the researches of Count Rumford, would doubtless be true were the waters gradually cooled down without agi tation. But it is not found to be true in fact ; and from recent observations it ap pears probable that, in consequence of their violent agitation by the cold winds which prevail in the early part of winter, the whole mass of water is cooled down very nearly to the freezing point before any ice is formed at the surface over the deeper parts ofthe lake, and that, after the waters are protected from the winds by a covering of ice, their temperature is gradually, but slowly, elevated by the reception of heat from the earth beneath. The following ex- jieriments show that the temperature of the water under the ice is, generally, some de grees above the freezing point, but not so much above as we had supposed. On tho 27th of March, 1844, when the lake had been covered with ice about eight weeks, at the distance of one-fourth of a * The mouth of Shelburne Bay only. mile from the shore, the temperature of the water was found to be, at the surface 32°, at the depth of 0 feet 32J°— at 12 feet 84i and at 25 feet 35J°. On the Sth of March, 1852, when the lake had been frozen over 7 weeks, one-fourth of a mile from the shore, where the water was 28 feet deep, the tem perature at the bottom was 34J°, that at the surface being 32°. On the 5th of April following, at the distance of one mile from the shore, the water being 82 feet deep, the temperature at the bottom was 34°. At tho distance of 2J miles from the shore, at an -open crack where the water vf as 125 feet deep, the temperature at the bottom was 344°. , The sudden disappearance ofthe ice from Lake Champlain has been a subject of re mark and speculation, from the first settle ment of the country. But to a person, Ti-ho carefully observes the circumstances, there will not appear any thing in the phenome non either mysterious or very wonderful. In order to its occurrence, the temperature of the great body of water must be some degrees above the freezing point, the ice must be reduced to the honey-comb struc ture, or brought into a condition in which it will easily separate into minute divisions, and there must be a wind sufficiently strong to produce considerable agitation of the water. In addition to theoretic objections to the popular notion that the ice sinks, when it disappears suddenly, persons of observation, who Uve near the lake, have occular proof that it does not sink. The ice, while yet spreading over the entire surface of. the lake, is seen to be gradually wasting as spring advances and to become less firm, till, at length, it is so far disintegrated that a stick m.ay be thrust through it, while it is yet from 0 to 12 inches thick. This dis integration is sometimes carried so far, before the general icy covering is broken up, that the ioe has little more solidity or t&acity than snow saturated with -water. In this state of things, a strong wind soon produces rents in the ice, — the waters, be fore pent up and quiet, are thrown into violent .agitation, and the slightly cohering masses are actually seen falling to pieces and dissolving on the surface ofthe water. But it is never seen sinking, nor was any ever seen lying at the bottom after it had sunk. Some have supposed that the sudden ab sorption of so large an amount of caloric, as would be required for the liquefaction of the ice, would produce severe frost in the neighborhood of the lake, whicli is not found to be true in fact. But this difficulty is removed by the consideration, that tho heat employed in melting the ice, is derived NATURAL HISTORY. 11 LAKE CHAMPLAIN PHENOMENA, EUPTURE OF JOB, NEW YORK BAT. rather from the water than from the atmos phere, and that the surface of the lake, in contact with the atmosphere, after the ice is all melted, is still warmer than the icy covering was before. There is another phenomenon connected with the freezing of Lake Champlain, which is of someinterest. At Rouse's Point, where the lake passes into Canada, and where it narrows down into the form of a river and some current is perceptible, it becomes strongly frozen over long before the broad lake closes ; but very soon after the broader and deeper j)arts of the lake become covered with ice, the ice begins to fail at this place and in a measure disappears, even while the cold is severe and ice is forming in other places. To many, this phenomenon has appeared somewhat mysterious ; but its explanation may, probably, be found in the circumstance that the lake at Rouse's Point is quite narrow and shallow and that the water which passes there, before the broad lake freezes, is the surface water and conse quently the coldest water of the lake. This cold water, passing the Point in a shallow, scarcely perceptible stream, is soon cooled down and congealed at the surface, and the ice usuaUy becomes strong here before the main body of the lake is frozen over. But soon after the broad lake closes over, the ice begins to waste at the Point and usually fails here soon after it becomes good elsewhere. This failure of the ice here, is owing to the circumstance that, after the lake is covered with ice, the water passing off here is no longer the cold sur face water, but the warmer water lying below. It is this warmer w.ater by its mo tion, though moderate, under the ice and in contact with it, which causes the ice to fail here, while it is increasing in other places. In February, 1 851 , there was an occur rence in Windmill Bay, on the west side of Alburgh, which is worthy of note ; the lake and bay being at that time covered with ice. On Saturday, Feb. 15, the wind blew quite hard from the south, and the snow thawed so that water ran in the roads. Saturday evening the wind came suddenly round to the west and blev;^ for a short time with great violence. In the morning of the 16th something unusual was observed in the bay, and on going to it, it -ivas found that the ioe had been ruptured for the space of five or six rods each way, and that there were two immense blocks of ice lying upon the firm ice at some distance from the opening raade by the rupture. The lar gest of these blocks was 39^ feet long, with an average width of about 26 feet. The other was thirty-eight feet long and 20 wide, and their thickness was 17 inches. The nearest of these blocks was 7J rods from the opening and they were both the same side up as when they were lying upon the water. The depth of the water at the opening was 17 feet, and the sides of the blocks raatched, in part, the margin of the opening. Respecting the cause and manner of this occurrence, there were various conjectures ; many supposing that it must have been effected by the exertion of some sudden force or explosion from beneath. But as a fall from the least elevation, must have inevita bly broken such masses of ice into innume rable fragments, it is evident that it was not thrown out by a force acting upward, but by a lateral force, which caused the masses to slide upou the surface of the un disturbed ioe, and to be thus removed from their bed without being broken. The cause of this lateral pressure was probably the wind. While the wind was blowing from the south, a crack might have been opened and these large fragments loosened. When the wind came round and blew violently from the west, this crack might have closed suddenly and the broken pieces, not re turning exactly to their former position, might have been thrown out with a force sufficient to cause them to .slide to the posi tion in which they were found, without being broken. QUADRUPEDS OF VERMONT. Additional to Part I, Chapter ii. To our previous list of Mammalia, we now add two living species, and two extinct fossil species. They are the following : Ves. noveboracensis, N. Y. Bat. Mus leucopus. White bellied Mouse. Eleph. primo genius'! Fossil Elephant. Beluga vermoniana. Fossil Whale. Besides these, we have made additions to our account, ofthe following : Felis concolor. Panther. Phoca veiulina. Seal. Sciurus hudsonius, Red Squirrel, NEW YORK BAT. Vespertilio noveboracensis. — Linn. Desceipiion. — He.".d small ; nose point- 12 APPENDIX TO THOMPSON'S VERMONT. ed. Ears broad, rather small ; targus club- shaped. Interfemoral membrane broader than long, including the entire tail. This membrane is hairy above, but two-thirds naked beneath. Hind feet with five sub- equal toes, of which the outer are shortest. Brachial membrane naked above, excepting near the body and at the base of the pha langes : beneath, the hair extends farther from the body, and the patch at the base of the phalanges much more extensive. Gen eral color of the fur above, tawny red— beneath, the sarae, but much lighter. A whitish patch cn the sides of the body at the base of the wings, most conspicuous on the under side. The brachial membrane is dark brown, beautifully reticulated with lighter color. Length of the specimen be fore me 4J inches, spread of the wings 12 inches, HisTOET.— This Bat is less comraon in Vermont than several other species, and Vermont is probably near the lirait of its northern range. According to Dr. DeKay, this is the most coraraon species iu the state of New York. Its range is frora Massachu setts to the Rocky Mountains, and south through Pennsylvania. This Bat, frora its red or ferruginous color, is very coraraonly called the Red Bat, and is figured under that narae in Wilson's Ornithology. With the exception of the Hoary Bat, this is the largest bat found in Vermont, and in its measureraents it scarcely falls short of the Hoary Bat, but its form is more slender. For the specimen from which the prece dino- description is made, I am indebted to my friend C. S. Paine, of Randolph. PANTHER, or CATAMOUNT, (Part 1,-87,) Felis concolor. — LinnjEus. Desoeiption.— Color of thefaoe, head and all the upper parts of the body dark gray, slightly brushed with red. Interior of the ears, under side of the body and tail, and inner side ofthe legs grayish ash ; between the hind legs and beneath the tail tawny white. Exterior of the ears , bottoms of the feet and extremity of the tail blade. Also a black patch on each side of the nose, from which the whiskers proceed, and the two connected together by a brownish band over the nose. Chin, lower lip and part of the upper lip clear white. Nose naked, of a brownish copper color, and narrowly margined with white hairs. Whiskers 2^ inches long, white, intermingled with a few black hairs. Eyes oblique, with a whitish spot above and a little in front of each, and a smaller one below. Irides orange. Claws completely retractile, one inch long, very strong and sharp, of a pearly white color, having a blood red tinge on the under side near the base. Dental Formula — Inscisors -j- canines j ^ 4 4 molars ^ 3= 30. Teeth aU clear white, per fectly sound, exhibiting no marks of wear. Incisors small, outer ones largest. Canines conical and strong, projecting 1.1 inch be yond the gura. The camiverous molars project |ths of an inch. Posterior molars in the upper jaw not fally developed. The weight of the specimen before me, which is a male, is 86 pounds. Length, from the nose to the root of the tail, 48 inches. Length of the tail (verte- brce 29.5, skin and hair beyond 1.5) 31. Total length 79 in., or 6 ft. 7 in. Length of facial line, from nose to occiput, 10. Width ofthe head between the ears, poste riorly, 4.5, anteriorly 6, between the eyes 2.5. Height of the rounded ear 3.5. Length ofthe humerus 8, fore-arm 9, thigh 11, leg 12. Circumference of the vrrist 7.5, fore paw 7.5, ankle 6, hind foot 7. Height at the shoulders 26, at the rump 27. Girt of the neck 16 inches, just behind the fore legs 27 inches. HisTOET.— The Panther here described, was caught on the western slope of the Green Mountains, in the to-wn of Manches ter, Bennington county, on the 5th day of February, 1850. It was taken, by a Mr. Burritt, in a trap set for a bear. Being caught by one of its paws only, and being quite ferocious, it was not deemed prudent to attempt to secure him alive, and he was killed by shooting hira through the body. It was purchased by the Hon. L. Sargeant aud a few othera in Manchester, who, with a public spirit and zeal for the advance ment of science truly commendable and worthy of imitation, presented it to the Museum of the University of Vermont, where its skin and skeleton are now preser ved. In taking off the skin, the head, neck and inner sides of the fore legs were found very much filled with Hedge-Hog quills, which, in many cases, had passed entirely through the skin and were deeply embedded in the flesh. Tho trap, in which it was caught, had not been visited for some time previous, and, from appearances, it was supposed to have been several days in the trap, when found ; and when shot it bled very profusely. Its weight was very much NATURAL HISTORY. 13 WHITE BELLIED JUMPING MOUSE. diminished by both these circumstances, and it was the general opinion, that, when first caught, its weight was not less than 100 poimds. The teeth of this Panther were all per fectly sound and white, showing no marks of wear, and as the posterior molars in the upper jaw were not fully developed, there can be no doubt that it was a young animal, probably about two years old. The Panther, above described, is the last and the only one which has been, to ray knowledge, killed in Vermont for many years ; and as the aniraal is now exceedingly scarce, aud there may never be another ob tained, within the state, for any of our museums, I have thought it advisable to be thus minute In its description and history, notwithstanding the full general account given in Part I — p. 37. SEAL. Phoca vitulina. — Linn^us. In Part I, page 38, of my History of Vermont, -will be found some account of a Seal captured on the ice on Lake Champlain in 1810. Another Seal was killed upon the ice bet-rceen Burlington and Port Kent, on the 23d of February, ) 846. Mr. Tabor, of KeeseviUe, and Messrs. Morse and Field, of Peru, were crossing over in sleighs, when they discovered it crawling upon the ice, aud, attacking it with the but end of their whips, they succeeded in killing it, and brought it on shore at Burlington, Where it was purchased by Morton Cole, Esq., and presented to the University of Vermont, where its skin and skeleton are now pre served. Before it was skinned I noted do-wn the following particulars : Total length of the Seal 50 inches ; thick ness just behind the fore legs 12 inches: weight 70 pounds. Length ofthe fore paw 7, nails li, width 4 ; hind paw, length 8, nail 1, -width 11, measured along the mar gin of the web, with the foot spread. Tail 3.5 inches long and 2 broad at *fie base ; hair on the tail reversed, formiag a crown at the extremity. ' Nose trancated and somewhat notched, being 2,5 inches across the extremity. Whiskers numerous, and nearly white ; four erect, stiff and nearly white bristles, situatad above and a little behind each eye. Distance between the eyes 2^ inches'. The specimen was a female, having two abdominal mammae situated thus („ • ."',{') The teats appeared rather like cavities than protuberances, and she was doubtless a fe male which had never suckled young. Dental Formula— Incisors j canines iZd molars 5-5=34. 2 Lower incisors quite sraall. Upper in cisors larger, ( the two outward ones largest, ) overlapping the lower ones, when the mouth is shut. Canines rather large and hooking inward. The molars are placed obliquely in the jaw; that nearest the canines small est, and increasing backward in size and in the number of their sharp pointed tubercles. Its dentition resembles very closely that of the common cat. Its hair was short, stiff, thick and even. Color of the hair brown olive and tawny white, forming a beautiful dark spotted marbling, lighter and more tawny on the belly. Base of all the hairs on the hind feet brown olive, with the tips slightly brushed with white, giving them a lioary appearance. Hair on the fore feet obscurely mottled. At the time . the above mentioned seal was taken, the lake, with the exception of a few cracks, was entirely covered with ice. WHITE BELLIED JUMPING MOUSE. Mus leucopus. — Richardson. Description — .Head moderately large, with the nose pointed. Eyes medium size. Ears large, rounded above, and naked, with the exception of a short down, which is whitish, along the margin. Auditorj- opening rather large. Whiskers turned backward, in part, longer than the head, some of the hairs black and some white. Fore feet with four claws and a rudimentary thumb, without nail Hind feet with five toes, having feeble curved claws, nearly concealed by long white hairs. Tail slen der, and slightly tapering. Incisors yellow. Fur fine, and rather long. Color above reddish brown, darkest along the back. The reddish brown extends downward on the shoulders and on the outside of the thighs, forming a band. All the under parts, from the chin to the extremity of the tail, including the feet and nails, pure white, excepting a narrow band of reddish brown under the base of the tail. Color of the fur, plumbeous, at its base. Length ofthe specimen before me, which is a 'male, measuring from the snout to the extremity of the tail, 7 inches ; head 1, body 2.7, tail 3,3, fore feet, 0.45, hind feet, 0,8, whis kers 1.5. HisTORT. — This Mouse is a very delicate and beautiful little animal. It is exceed ingly active, often leaping to considerable distances in the manner ofthe Deer-Mouse, but it has nothing of that Kangaroo form, or disproportion between the fore and hind legs, which exists in that species. It is most common in forests and wooded places, but frequents, also, meadows and cultivated fields, particularly where grain and grass~ 14 APPENDIX TO THOMPSON'S VERMONT. WHITE SQUIRREL. FOSSIL ELEPHANT. seed abound. It also enters barns and hotises in quest of food and shelter. Two or three have been taken in a trap, in my own cellflr, during the past year, and they are frequently brought in by cats, in the village of Burlington. It is found on both sides of the Green Mountains. I lately re ceived two specimens from my friend, C. S. Paine, which were taken iu Randolph. It is found iu all the northern states, and as far north as Hudson's Bay. WHITE SQUIRREL. Sciurus hudsonius, (Albino). — P. I., p, 46. November 11, 1850, I obtained an indi vidual of the species commonly called the Red Squirrel, or Chickaree, which was entirely white. It was shot, in the top of a large tree, near the railroad bridge, be tween Burlington and Colchester. There were two of these white squirrels in compa ny, but only one of them was captured. This one was a male, and, although its form was slender and delicate, it had every appearance of having been healthy and ac tive. Its entire length, from the nose to the extremity ofthe hairs of the tail, 12.5 inches — to the extremity of the vertebrae of the tail, 11, to the root of the tail, 6 ; length of the head 2. Color of the hair entirely of snowy whiteness. Nails white, with a slight carnation tinge. Eyes nearly trans parent, -with a slightly smoky aspect, but in the dead animal, they exhibited scarcely any of that redness, which is regarded as the characteristic ot albinos. FOSSIL ELEPHANT. Elephas primdgenius7 — Blumbneaoh. It is a remarkable fact that, in making the Rutland and Burlington Bail Road, which extends fromBurlmgton to Bellows FaUs, two of the most interesting fossils ever found in New England, were brought to light. These were the remains of an Elephant and a Whale : the former were found in Mount Holly, in 1848, and the latter in Charlotte, in 1849. The Rutland and Burlington Raih-oad crosses the ridge of the Green Mountains, in the township of Mount Holly, at an elevation of 1415 feet above the level of the ocean, and the bones of the fossil Elephant were found at that height. In order that their true position may be uu- derstood, and a knowledge of it preserved, the accompanying rude map has been prepared. The ma^ embraces an area of about 35 acres, lying at the summit level of the Green Mountains, over which the raUroad passes. ^ More than half of this area consists of a solid mass of rock, elevated considerably above the ground on each side, and only sUghtly covered -with soU, or earth, except ing the cavities indicated, which are filled with vegetable muck. The line on the map, marked 5, denotes the ridge, which, previ ous to making the railroad, divided the waters flio-wing into Connecticut river from those falling into Lake Champlain. The cut, for the raUtoad, thr6ugh this mass of rock, (from 4 to 8 on the map,) is about 180 rods in length, and from 12 to 35 feet d(5ep. The muck beds are formed in basins exoa- oavated out of the rock. Tlie larger basin appears to have been origmaUy filled -with water, and to have been a favorite resort for beaver, a large proportion of the mate rials which formed the lower pai't of the 6, Road. . Diviiioa of wnler. -. StatioivHoHse. Dotted lin^, ouUets oTmuck bed. ,. .^.,...uu ». ..».w., muck, consisting of biUets of wood, about 18 inches long, which had been cut off .at both ends, dra-wn into the water and di vested of theViark, by the beavers, for food. When first taken out, the marks of teeth upon the wood were as distinct as if they were the work ol yesterday. At 3, the outlet of the basin, the beavers had con structed a regular dam. for the purpose of deepening the waters -within. .But at the time the excavation for tite railroad was made, the basin had become antirely fiUed -with vegetable matter, which was in parts 15 feet deep, and its surface was a, swamp, on which plants, shrubs, and small trees were growuig. The bUlets of wood, which the beavers had brought in, were, many of them, three inches in diameter, and were of several kinds, as ash, -willow and alder. NATURAL HISTORY. 15 FOSSIL ELEPHANT. FOSSIL WHALE. These, together -with numerous cones of black spruce and xliite pine, in a good state of preservation, were embedded in a thick vegetable mucilage, nearly resem bling clay in color, but which, when cut in cakes and taken in the hand, would shake and tremble like a mass of jeUy. A cake of this mucilage, when dried, was much lighter than cork, and was diminished to about one-eighth of its original bulk. The mucUage was undoubtedly produced by the solution of leaves and wood, which had steeped for ages in that basin of cold water, from which there was not a sufficient flow to carry it off. The billets of wood, when taken out from the bottom of the muck, ¦ appeared plump and fresh, as if they had been recently pealed, but were very soft, and in drying, they iQSt full five-sixths of their bulk. In making the excavation for the rail road, through the muck-bed above descri bed, in the latter part of the summer of 1848, the workmen found, at the bottom of the bed, resting upon gravel, which separ- rated it from the rock below, a huge tooth, the place of which is indicated on the map and Cut by 1. The depth of the muck at that place was 11 feet. Soon afterwards, one of the tusks was found, at 2, about 80 feet frora the place of the tooth, above mention ed, which was a grinder. Subsequently the other tusk, and several of the bones of the animal were found near the same place. These bones and teeth were submitted to the inspection of Prof. Agassiz, of Cam bridge University, who pronounced them to be the remains of an extinct species of Elephant. The Directors of the Rutland and Burlington RaU Road, tp whom they belong, design to have them placed in the Museum of the University of Vermont, for preservation, and for the illustration of our The form of the out through the rocks and the muck, and the position of the fos sils, may be seen in the accompanying section. 3 2 1 4 3. Original dividing ridge. 4, Present division of water. The grinder is in an excellent state of preservation, and weighed 8 pounds, and the length of its grinding surface is about 8 inches. The tusks are soraewhat decayed, and one of them badly broken. The chord , drawn in a straight line from the base to the point, of the most perfect tusk, meas ures 60 inches, and tiie longest perpen dicular, letjair from that to the inner curvg.r--of^e tusk, measures 19 inches. ^^hSTength of the tusk, measured along the curve on the outer surface, is 80 inches. and its greatest circumference, 12 inches. The circumference has diminished very much since the tusk was taken from the muck bed, on account of shrinkage in dry ing, and several longitudinal cracks have been formed in it, extending through its whole length, and it was found necessary to wind it with -wire to prevent it from splitting to pieces. These are believed to be the only fossU remains ever found in New England, which have been, -with certainty, ascertaiaed to belong to an Elephant. Remains of Ele phants have been found in several of the southern and western states, and very re cently some fine specimens have been dug up in Ohio. I' have prefixed to this account the spe cific name of the Mammoth, or fossil Ele phant of Europe, but have little doubt that ours is a distinct species, and I am happy in kno-wing that one of our best compara tive anatomists is now investigating this very subject. FOSSIL WHALE. Beluga vermontana, — Thompson. As many rare fossils are rendered nearly valueless by the want ofan accurate knowl edge of their localities, and of the circum stances in which they were found, I have deemed the above mentioned fossil, which is undoubtedly the most interesting of the organic remains yet found in Vermont, of sufficient importance to justify a minute history of its discovery and position, and the introduction of a small map ofthe local ity. The discovery of this fossil took place in August, 1849. While widening an ex cavation for the Rutland and Burlington RaU Way, in the township of Charldtte, the workmen struck upon a quantity of bones, which were embedded in the clay at the depth of about eight feet below the natural surface of the ground. Some of the Irish men remarked that they were the bones of a dead horse buried there; but little notice, however, was taken of them, till the over seers observed something peculiar in the form of several of the bones, and were, thereby, induced to examine them more carefully. It was soon found that the bones discovered, belonged to the anterior portion of the skeleton of some unknown animal, the head of which had already been broken into fragments, by the workmen, and many of the fragments carried away with the earthj which had been removed. On carefully removing more of the clay, a number of vertebrae were found, extending in a line obliquely into the bank, and, ap parently arranged in the order in which 1 they existed in the living animal. These 16 APPENDIX TO THOMPSON'S VERMONT. xOSSIL WHALE. BONES DESCEIEED. vertebras were taken out, and, together "with the sternum, fragments of the head, ribs, &c., were forwarded to Burlington, and, by the kindness of Messrs. Jackson & Boardman, engineers on the railroad, were placed in my hands. By a careful examination of these bones, I found that they belonged to some animal, with whose skeleton I was not acquainted, Sjfld that there were wanting, in order to complete the skeleton, the greater part of the head, all of the teeth, a considerable number of vertebrae aud ribs, and the bones of the limbs. I was at first in some doubt, whether the animal belonged to the whale family or to the saurian; but this doubt was soon removed, by a careful examination of the caudal vertebrae.' These were found to have their articulating surfaces convex, and rounded in such a raanner as to allow of a very extensive vertical motion of the tail, but of a very limited lateral motion. This arrangement plainly indicated that the movements of the animal in the water, were effected by raeans of a horizontal caudal fin, and that it, therefore, belonged to the faraily of Cetacea, or IVhales. The manner in which these caudal ver tebrae move upon each other may be seen in the cut, where Fig. 1 represents the 13th, 14th and 15th vertebrse of the tail, — a, as they appear viewed frora above — b, as seen laterally*. After having carefully reraoved frora the bones, I had received, the adhesive clay, in order to prevent their crumbling by expo sure to the air, and secure their preserva tion, I saturated them -with a thin solution of animal glue, and then proceeded to Charlotte in order to recover, if possible, the bones, which were missing. By spend ing several days in the search, I succeeded in obtaining most of the anterior portion of the head, nine of the teeth, and thirteen additional vertebra, together with the bones of one forearm, several chevron bones, and portions of ribs. From the portions of the head, which I obtained, and the fragments previously received, I was able to recon struct so much of the upper and anterior portion of the head, as to exhibit distinctly its spiracles, or blow-holes, showing un equivocally that it belonged to the Whale family. My next object was to ascertain, if possible, whether it was a living, or an extinct, species of this family. Being without specimens for comparison, my only reliance for aid was Cuvier's great work on Fossil Bones. By a comparison of the figures iu that work, it was found to re semble the living rather than the extinct types, and that the osteology of the head was very like that of the Beluga leucas, or smaU northern White Whale.* Having collected together all the bones and fragments of the Fossil, within my reach, I proceeded with them to Cambridge, Mass. , and submitted them to the inspection of Prof. Agassiz, who confirmed the opinion I had formed respecting them, and, for two days, very kindly lent me his aid, and his great skill and knowledge of the subject, in their collocation and arrangement. Hav ing, all together, more than four-fifths of the bones ofthe skeleton, hewas able, trom the number, position and size of these, to determine the number, position and size of those, which were missing, and thus to de terraine the size and form of the whole animal. The head of the skeleton, as already re marked, was broken into a great number of pieces, and only a portion of the fragments recovered; but enough to determine its entire length and general form. Fig. 2 represents the head, as reconstructed out of the fragments, viewed from above; and fig. 3, a side view, with the lower jaw dropped a little below its true place. The entire length of the head is 21.2 inches. The maxiUary bone on the left side is mostly wanting, bnt on the right side, it is entire, so far as to embrace the alveolar margin, which is 6.85 inches in length, and perfo rated for 8 teeth. The corresponding alve olar margin of the lower jaw measures 5.5 inches, and is perforated for 7 teeth. Hence it appears that there were 16 teeth in the upper jaw and 14 in the lower, making 30 in the whole. The teeth are all of oue kind, being coni cal, with flat or rounded crowns, much worn, but, in their substance, very dense and flrm. They are from one to two inches in length, with a diameter of half an inch. Pig. 4 represents their different forms and sizes. Only nine of the teeth were recov ered, and none of those were in their places whenfoand; but, that tliey were in their places, up to the time the bones were first discovered, is evident, from the fact, that, while every other cavity in the bones was filled witli clay, the alveoli were all empty. Of the vertebraj, 41 were secured, of which four were cervical, eleven dorsal, ten lumbar, and sixteen caudal. Three cervical vertebrss, the first, fifth and sixth, are evidently missing, which, with the four FossU Whale with the descriptions and obtained, make sewn, the usual number. These vertebrae are all free, not being sol dered together, as in the common dolphin, .^iS-"!'^''^ Osse. Foss., Tol. T, page 299 und Plata XXII, flg. 5 and 6,— Pai-is edition, 1825, ^'* "'^ * The fl-aotiona after the number of tho figure, when introduced in the accompanying cuts, denote the linear proportion of the cut to the object, which it represents. NATURAL HISTORY. 17 FOSSIL WHALE. BONES PIGUEED. ¦J*f^^?t€?^ tr 'Li' 2^ t-rv (, ¦ ; v-1 X-^VM. 18 APPENDIX TO THOMPSON'S VERMONT. FOSSIL -WHALE. and some other cetaoians. Fig. 5 repre sents the third cervical vertebra. The second and twelfth dorsal vertebras are missing, the whole number being thir teen. Fig. 6, represents the seventh dor sal vertebra — a, as seen from behind — b, as seen lateraUy. The lumbar vertebras amount to twelve, of which the sixth and twelfth are raissing. Fig. 7, represents the seventh lurabar ver tebra. These vertebras all have the same general forra, but the lateral winged pro cesses are raore decayed and broken in some ot them, than in the one here repre sented. The eleventh and seventeenth caudal vertebrae are missing, and perhaps a nine teenth and twentieth, making the, proba ble, whole number, twenty. Fig. 8, repre sents the fourth caudal vertebra. The form of those nearer the extremity of the taU raay be seen in fig. 1. Frora these statements, it will be seen, that the whole nuraber of vertebrEe in the skeleton was 52, eleven of which are mis sing. Two of the missing vertebrse were known to have been taken away, after the bones were discovered. Articulating sur faces, at the raeeting ofthe caudal vertebras, indicate five chevron bones, of which the fourth only is wanting. Fig. 9, represents the second chevron bone. The total length of the vertebral column, due allowance being made for the eleven missing vertebras, and 17 inches for the aggregate thickness ofthe 51 intervertebral cartilages, is one hundred and thirty-seven inches. Of this length, the cervical ver tebrae make 10 inches, the dorsal 40, the lumbar 48, and the caudal 39! The lum bar vertebras are largest, having an average length of about 4 inches, with a diameter of 3 inches. The total length ofthe animal, including the head and caudal fin, must have been about 168 inches, or 14 feet. Fig. 10, is the hyoid bone, and Fig. 11, the sternum , both of which are large and strong, in proportion to the size of the skeleton, The former raeasures 8.5 inches in a right line, from point to point, aud the latter is 15 inches long, from 8J to 7 wide, and on au average about one inch thick. The ribs are considerably decayed aud broken. The longest entire rib measures just 24 inches along the curve. Fig. 12, represents the anterior rib, on one side. It is very strong, consisting of two portions, of nearly equal length, of solid bone. Fig. 13, represents the scapula, the humerus and the bones of the fore-arm of the left fin, in their connexion. The scap ula and the ulna of the right aide were re covered, but all the other bones of the paddles are wanting. The height of the scapula is 7 inches ; the length of the humerus 5, and ofthe fore-arra 4 inches. I was able to obtain the following raeas- uremejits of the head, which admit of direct comparison wiih a part of the measure ments, given by Cuvier, of the head of Beluga leucas : B. vermontana. B. leucas. Length of the head, from the -\ occipital condyles to the > 21.2 inch. 20.9 inch. end of the snout, ) "of one side of the lower jaw, 16,5 " 16.5 " " of alveolar margin, " 8.2 " 7.8 " " of tho symphysis, " 3.1 " 3.1 " Between these measureraents, it will be seen that there is a very close agreeraent ; but they disagree in their dental formulae, as expressed below : B. ver-montana. B. leucas. Dental Formulie,y 1=30: j 5=86. They also differ in the relative width of the maxillary and intermaxillary bones, as developed on the upper side of the snout, and also in the outlines of the head. Since the above measureraents and com parisons were made, I have had an oppor tunity to examine the bones of three heads of B. leucas, in the Hunterian Museum, in London, and an entire skeleton of the animal iu the collection of Prof Agassiz, at Cambridge, Mass. On account of the ab sence of Prof. Agassiz, when I visited Cam bridge, a rainute coraparison of ray fossU bones, with the corresponding bones of his skeleton, was not gone into, but a sufficient number of bones was compared, to leave little doubt that they belong to different species of the same genus. I have, there fore, described my Beluga under the specific name ot vermontana, which I gave it, pro visionally, in my first account of the fossU*. Locality.— In order to preventany doubt, hereafter, in regard to the precise place in which these fossil bones were found, I have here introduced a little map ofthe township of Charlotte, on which I have marked the looaUty by a black ea. The township is six mUes square, and bounded on the west by Lake Champlain. The single Unes de note the principal roads passing through the township. The railroad passes through it,, from north to south, neaily paraUel to the lake shore, and at an average distance of li mUe from it. The distance between the two roads, which cross the railroad, one on the north and the other on tbe south side of the locality, is about 80 rods ; the distance to the locality, from the north road, being perhaps 25 rods, and from the south road, 55 rods. The northern road crosses the railway on a bridge, over the excavation, elevated about 16 feet above * SilUman's Journal of Science, Vol, IX, p. 266, NATURAL HISTORY. 19 MAP OP CH-iELOTTE. FOSSIL WHALE. the track : the southern road crosses on a level with the track. The accompa nying cut exhibits a section along the east side of the excavation, in which the bones were found. The surface ofthe ground slopes to the south, and, to the depth of four feet, consists prinoipallyof sand, showing' no signs of stratification. Next, below this, is a mix ture of sand and clay, finely and regularly stratified, for u. depth of 2J feet, below which is a vast bed of fine blue clay, in which were observed no signs of strati fication, and which appears to have been, previous to the deposit of the sive quagmire. SECTION. MAP or CHARLOTTE. 25^Z!e.':HE3Hffl9». A D B is on the level of the natural surface of the excavation in the clay bed. D indicates fossil bones were found. stratified sand and clay above it, an exten- A and C denote the pomts where the two roads, above mentioned, cross the railroad ; A the northern road, and C the southern, _ and the line A G the distance between the c roads. From C to B, the railroad track earth; and from B to A at the bottom of the the point in the line of the road, where the The fossU bones were embedded in this clay, at an average depth below its surface of nearly two feet. The head of the skeleton was towards the northwest, was lowest, and was nearly on a level with the railway, while the posterior parts extended obliquely into the bank, towards the southeast. In the blue clay, -vrith the bones, were found 20 APPENDIX TO THOMPSON'S VERMONT. FOSSIL WHALE. BIRDS OF VERMONT. some vegetable remains, and also specimens of Jfucula and Saxicava. At the sarface of the blue clay were great numbers of Mytilus edulis and Sanguinolaria fusca, and the latter were scattered through the ^ 11.-^ stratified sand and clay above. The local ity, as ascertained by the railroad survey, is 60 feet above the mean level of Lake Champlain, and 150 above the ocean.* 13.^ BIRDS OF VERMONT. Additional to Part I, Chapter in. Tyramvus cooperij Muscicapa traillii^ " ruiicilla, " pusilla^ Vireo gilvus^ Merula olivaceay Sylvia striata., " Tvjicapilla, " pardolina, " parus^ " Philadelphia, " americana, Frinffilla borealis^ To our list of Birds given in Part I, page 53j we now add the following species : Olive sided King Bird. Traill's Flycatcher. American Redstart. Green Blackcap Warbler. Warbling Vireo. OUvebacked Thrusb. Black-poll Warbler. Red-poll Warbler. Canada Warbler. Hemlock Warbler. Momrning Warbler. Particolored Wai-bler. Mealy Redpoll. Coccoborus ZudoVician w's, Bosebrested Grosbeak. Tanagra rubra, Scarlet Tanager. Picus pileatuSf Crested Woodpecker. Ardea minor^ American Bittern. Tatanus melanoleucas^Qi-QaXer Yellow Shankg. Tringa semipalmata^ Semipalmated Sandpiper. Colymbus SBptentrionaliSj Bed Throated Loon. We also make additions to our former account, of the following : Falco ckrysaetas, Golden Eagle. Cypselus pelasgius., Chhnney Swallow. Columba migratoria^ Passenger Pigeon. THE GOLDEN EAGLE. Falco chrxjsaetas. — Linn. In May, 1845, two eagles of this species were observed flying near the summit of a high hill, in Pittsfield, in this State. One of these was shot and wounded. It flew about half a mile and pitched down into a thick forest, but could not then be found. About a week afterwards, it was discovered and captured. It was confined in a stable, fed on meat, and kept there more than a year. It was then sent to Middlebury, to Prof. C. B, Adams, who, on the 23d of Oct., 1846, sent it to me, at Burlington. I kept it in an open cage, or coop, in the comer of my yard, through the winter, and watch ed its conduct with much care. It was a female, aud was, in her deposition, very savage; and during the 7 or 8 months I kept her alive, I made very little progress towards taming her. She would strike * In 1847, a portion of the skeleton of a whale, was found in the same kind of clay, as that in which tlie bones were found in Charlotte, in the vicinity of Montreal. It was found about 15 feet below'the surface, in digging clay for making bricks, and was about 100 feet above the level of the St. Lawrence. The portion found, consisted of 19 consecutive verte brae, which measured, all together, when an-anged in their order, 4 1-2 feet. About one-third of the ver tebra were caudal, tJie other two-thirds sacral and lumbar. These fossil bones were carried to London, by Mr. Logan, Pi-ovlncial Geologist, where I had an opportunity of comparing mth them some of the vertebrte of B. vermontana^ at the Museum of the Geological Survey of Great Britain, and I have little doubt that they, are identical iu species. NATUR-iL HISTORY. 21 QLIVE-SIBED KINQ BlRn. tkaill's plv-catcher. AMERICAN REDSTART. with her feet with the quickness of a oat. ; and, after having had a piece of meat snatched from my hand so suddenly that I scarcely had a glimpse of the claws that took it, I thought it most prudent to keep my hands beyond her reach. She was most fond of meat when first killed, but, if hungry, she would not reject it after it had become putrid. When a hen, or dove, was killed and thrown into her cage, she would suddenly pounce upon it, striking in her clawS' with great force. She would then stretch up her neck and look around, as if exulting over the victory she had achieved. Before eating a particle of the fowl, she would take it to her roost, and holding it with one foot, she would pick it, with her beak, as cleanly as if it were to be cooked. The length of this specimen was 33 inch es, the spread of her wings 72, the folded wing 24, tarsus 3.5, tibia, 6.5, tail, con sisting of 12 feathers, 10.5. It weighed, when killed, on the 19th of May, 1847, 10.5 pounds, the greater part of the weight being made up of the muscles of the wings and legs. Note. — The specimen, belonging to the Museum of the University of Vermont, which I have described in Part I, page 60, without a name, I have satisfied myself to be an old female Bald Eagle. THE OLIVE-SIDED KING-BIRD. Tyrannus cooperi — Nuttall. Description. — Gener.al color above, dark olive, becoming dusky brown on the head, wings and tail. Chin, throat, belly, and under tail coverts, white, tinged with light greenish yellow. Secondaries edged with white, and the wing coverts tipped with gray, giving the appearance of two obscure bars on the wings. Breast and sides of the belly, brownish, with an irregular yellowish white band from the throat dowii the breast to the belly. Legs and feet black. Upper mandible, blackish horn color ; lower, yel lowish, darker at the point. Irides hazel. Bill stoutand broadT Second quill longest, flrst and third equal. Tail emarginate, extends one inch beyond the folded wings. Length, 6.5 inches ; spread, 12.5. History.— This species was first distin guished from the Wood Pewee, which it much resetnbles, by William Cooper, in 1829, and was described and named, in honor of its discoverer, by Mr. Nuttall. Its range is from Texas to the 58d parallel of latitude, and from New England.to Oregon. It is a rare bird in New England, but num bers of them spend the summer and rear their young here. For the specimen, from which the above description was made, I was indebted to my friend C. S. Paine, who shot it in Randolph, in this state. The nest of this King Bird is usually built in the top of an evergreen, frora 30 to 50 feet from the ground, and resembles, somewhat, that ofthe common King Bird. The eggs, four in number, are of a yellowish cream- color, thinly sprinkled with dark brown and purple' spots. A nest, found by Mr. Paine, was on a horizontal branch of a tf'.ll hemlock, standing alone jn a pasture, near the border of woods. The nest, containing three eggs, was composed of twigs, moss, and a few blades of grass. It was very flat, and slovenly put together. This bird manifests much uneasiness and anger, when its nest is approached, erecting its crest, and becoming very clamorous. These birds are known to breed, in the same local ity, several years in succession. TRAILL'S FLY-CATCHER. Muscicapa traillii. — Ann. Description. — Color of the head and body above, dark glossy olive green ; circle round the eye and streak towards the bill, pale yellow. Wings, dark hair brown ; secondaries and wing coverts edged with dull white, forming two bars across the wings. Bill, blackish above, flesh-colored beneath. Chin aud throat yellowish white.; breast, ashy brown ; belly, and under tail coverts, pale sulphur yellow. Legs black. Tail emarginate. Length, 5.75; spread 8.75. History. — This species bears a very strong resembliince to the M. flaviventris. It is quite a coramon bird at some places along the east side of the Green Mountains, in Vermont, particularly along the second branch of White River, in Bethel and Ran dolph, where, I ara informed by ray friend, Paine, it rears its young in large numbers. Its nest is usually built in a low bush, by the side of a stream, frora one to four feet from the ground. The nest is composed, outwardly, of wild grass and wool, and lined witli 'x ery fine grass and weeds. It is very snugly put together, and nearly two inches deep. The eggs, usually three, are of a yellowish white color, sparsely sprinkled with light umber toward the larger end. THE AMERICAN REDSTART. Muscicapa ruiicilla. — Linnjeus. Desoeiption.— Upper parts, bill, chin and breast, black; sides of the breast, base of the primaries and of the tail feathers, excepting the two middle ones, fine reddish orange, sometimes approaching scarlet. Belly white. Female and young oliva 22 APPENDIX TO THOMPSON'S VERMONT. BLAOE-CAP WARBLER. WARBLING VIREO- OHVE-BAOKED THRUSH. BLAOEPOLL WARBLER. brown above, head cinereous ; beneath, yel lowish white. Sides of the breast, base of the quills and tail feathers, yellow, where they are orange in the male. Bill and legs smoky olive. Notch in the bill sraall. Sec ond and third primaries subequal and long- , est. Length, 5 inches; spread, 6.5. | History.— This beautiful little bird is found in all parts of the United States, and extends its summer migrations as far north as the 62d parallel of latitude, It arrives in Vermont about the middle of May. It is a shy and retiring bird, confining itself to the forests and groves. It builds its nest, usually, between the forked branches of a small tree, or sapling, 10 or 12 feet from the ground. The nest is very securely and neatly built, being made of fibres and Shreds of bark, very firmly agglutinated together. The eggs, 3 or 4 in nuraber, are of a light cream color, thickly sprinkled with difierent shades of yellowish brown, particularly towards the large end. THE GREEN BLACK-CAP WARBLER. Muscicapa pusilla. — Wilson. Description. — Crown, glossy black ; back, rump, and upper tail coverts, olive green. Frontlet, line over the eye, and all beneath, bright lemon yellow. Tail and wings, hair brown, the feathers having their outer vanes edged with yellow olive. Bill, brown ; legs, flesh color. No part white. Second and third quills longest, subequal. Tail long and rounded, reaching more than one inch beyond the tips of the folded wings. Female and young without the black crown. Length, 4.5 inches ; spread, 6.5. History. — ^This species appears to be very widely diffused, being found in Labra dor, in latitude 58" north, where it breeds, and as far westward as Columbia river. According to DeKay, it arrives in New York early in May, but is in that state ex ceedingly rare. Their nests are built on low bushes, iu which they lay about four grayish eggs, which are sprinkled with reddish dots, in a circle around the larger end. THE WARBLING VIREO. Vireo gilvus. — Bonaparte. Description.— Pale greenish olive. Head and upper part of the neck, dark ash, ap proaching to brown. Line over and beneath the eye, and extending from the eye to the nostril, light ash. Wings and tail, hair, brown, the feathers edged with greenish gray. Upper mandible dark horn color, the lower oue lighter. Chin and under parts dull greenish white. Sides of the body and beneath the wings, dull greenish yellow. Legs, bluish brown. Length, 5 inches; spread, 8. History. — This Vireo, though plain and unadorned in plumage, is one of the most rausical of the feathered warblers. Its range is through the whole extent of the United States, from the Atlantic to the Pacific. The nest of the Warbling Vireo is usually pendulous, and placed in the very summits of the loftiest trees. Nuttall has found them elevated to the airy height of more than 100 feet from the ground. The nest is made ofthe fibres of weeds and shreds of bark, and lined with grass. The eggs are from 4 to 6, white, with confluent spots and thread-like lines towards the larger end. My friend, C. S. Paine, who kindly favored me with a specimen of this bird, and its nest, which was built in the top of a lofty elm, near his dwelling, in Randolph, assures me that the favorite resort of the Warbling Vireo is among the trees and bushes, growing by the side of ponds and streams. THE OLIVE-BACKED THRUSH. Merula olivacea. — GntAri). Description. — General color above, yel lowish olive brown ; breast and throat buff, spotted with black; belly, soiled white, spotted with reddish brown. Bill, brown, short and robust. Legs, flesh color, line from the bill to the eye slightly rufous. Outer webs of the primaries, yellowish. Lower tail coverts, white. Second primary longest, first and thii-d nearly equal. — Length, 6.5 inches; spread, 11. Length of the tarsus 1 inch. Tail extends 1 inch beyond the folded wings. History. — This species was long regard ed as a variety of the Hermit Thrush, M. solitaria. It was first shown to be a dis tinct species by Mr. DeRhane, and was fii-st described and named by Mr. Giraud, iu his Birds of Long Island. This bu-d rears its young in Vermont, aud is not vei-y rare. Its nest, which is budt on the ground in the woods, is composed of leaves aud vines, and Imed ivith fine roots. It has 4 light blue eggs, but somewhat darker than those of the Hermit Thrush, or very nearly the color of those of the Robm. "it probably rears two broods in a season, since my friend Paine assures me, that he has found their nests, containing eggs, iu the months of .Juue, July and August. THE BLACK-POLL WARBLER. Sylvia striata. — Wilson. Description.- Head deep glossy black ; back mottled with black, white and dark NATURAL HISTORY. 23 RED-POLL WARBLER. CANADA WARBLER. HEMLOCE WARBLER. MOURNINS WARBLER. ash. Cheeks, collar round the neck, and vinder parts generally, white, lai'gely spot ted with black ou the breast and sides ; line of black spots from the chin towards the shoulders. Two white bars on the wings. Primaries brown, edged on their outer webs with greenish yellow. Tail, wood brown, tlie two outer feathers on each side having large white spots on their inner webs. Bill, dark horn color. Tail emar ginate, reaching three-fourths of an inch beyond the folded wings. Legs, flesh color. Female and young dull yellowish olive, streaked with black and gray. Length 5 inches; spread, 8. History. — The BlackpoU Warbler is pret^ ty generally diffused over the United States, and has been observed as far north as the 54th parallel of latitude. Audubon found the nest of this species in Labrador, budt in the forked branches of a fir tree, about three feet frora the ground. It was formed of mosses and lichens, lined first with coarse dried grass, then with fine moss, and lastly with feathers. The nest contained 4 eggs, but he has given no description of thera. It probably breeds in Vermont, but I am not aware that its nest has ever been found here. THE RED-POLL WARBLER. Sylvia ruflcapilla. — Latham. Description. — General aspect brownish olive, streaked with dusky brown ; crown dark rufous. Line over the eye, and all beneath, yellow. The two lateral tail feath ers with large spots of white on their inner webs, extending to their tips. The yellow on the breast streaked and spotted with bay. Legs aud bUl dusky brown. The flrst three quills nearly equal, second long est. Tail slightly notched, and reaches one inch beyond the folded wings. Female without the rufous crown, and having the spots on the breast brown instead of bay. In the young raale the crown is spotted with bay, and the breast yellowish brown. Length, 4.75; spread, 7.5. HiSTOBY.^ — The history of this little war bler appears to be very little known. I have two specimens, a male and a female, from.which the above description is drawn. They were both shot by my friend Paine, in Orange county, in 1848, one on the 20th of April and the other in September. It has been observed, according to DeKay, from Mexico to the 55th degree of north latitude. Whether it breeds or not in Vermont, I have not been able to ascertain. THE CANADA WARBLER. Sylvia pardalina. — Bonaparte. Description. — All the upper parts bluish ash, with central parts of the feathers on the head, black, giving it a dark spotted appearance. Wings and tail brown, edged with grayish. Line under the eye descen ding down the side of the throat towards the shoulders, black. Spot in the forehead, a broad line towards the eye, and all be neath, bright lemon yellow. A broad rounded band of black spots across the breast, forming a sort of collar. Under tail coverts white, tinged with yellow. Upper mandible brownish; the lower man dible, the legs and feet, flesh color. Second and third primaries subequal, longest. Tail long, rounded, reaching 1.2 beyond the tips of tlie folded wings. The female is greenish above, and all its markings less distinct. Length, 5 inches; spread, 8.5. History — This is a rare species, being only occasionally raet with in Vermont. It breeds, according to Audubon, in Penn sylvania, Maine, and the British Provinces, aud if so, it doubtless breeds in Vermont, though I am not aware that its nest has been found here. It is said to range as far north as the 55th degree of latitude. The nest is usually built in a low evergreen. The eggs, about five in number, are white, with a few dots of brownish red. THE HEMLOCK. WARBLER. Sylvia parus. — Wilson. Description. — Color above greenish yel low, striped with dusky ; bill, wings and tail brownish black ; two white bars on the wings; quills edged with greenish. Line over the eye, throat and neck yellow ; be neath, yellow, streaked with dusky on the breast and sides ; under tail coverts white ; patches of white on the inner webs of the two outer tail feathers; legs and under mandible greenish yellow. First quill longest; tail emarginate. Length, 5.25 ; spread, 8.5 "History. — Tins bird resides, for the raost part, in thick Hemlock forests, aud hence it has derived its name. Its nest, according to Audubon, is usually built in a hemlock or spruce, at a considerable elevation from the ground, and is composed of slender twigs and lichens, and lined with hair and feathers. The specimen above described was shot in Randolph, and the bird, no doubt, breeds here. THE MOURNING WARBLER. Sylvia Philadelphia. — Wilson. Description. — Head and sides of the neck bluish slate; upper parts ofthe body, wings and tail, dark yellowish olive-green ; space before the eye, apd frontlet, black. 24 APPENDIX TO THOMPSON'S VERMONT. PARTI-OOLORED WARBLER. MEALY REDPOLL. ROSE-EREASTED GROSBEAE. SCARLET TANAGER. Chin, throat and sides of the neck bluish gray. Breast black, with numerous fine crescent-shaped blue-gray lines. Beneath bright lustrous yellow. Bill smoky horn color; legs flesh color. In the female and the young, the throat and breast are buff, the latter much the darkest, and all the upper parts are a greenish olive. Length, 5 inches; spread,'7.5. History. — The Mourning Warbler de rives its name frora its peculiar melancholy notes. The specimen, from which the above description is chiefly drawn, was shot by my friend, C. S. Paine, in Randolph, on the 4th of July. It was a male, had with it a mate and a brood of young ones, just able to fly. This warbler is a rare bird, and is of shy and solitary habits. Its range, so far as at present ascertained, is between the 23d and 47th parallels of lati tude. THE PARTI-COLORED WARBLER. Sylvia americana. — Latham. Description,— Color pale blue above, with a large golden umber spot on the back. Upper mandible black ; lower, yel lowish. Chin, throat and lower part of the breast, bright yellow. A blackish collar, bordered below with umber, mixed with yellow. Sides, under the edges of the folded wings, spotted with bay. Belly bluish white. Two white bars on the wings ; and outer tail feathers largely spotted with white, on their inner webs. Wings and tail brown, the quills and feathers edged with light blue, on their outer webs. Legs and feet fuliginous. Three first quills nearly equal. Female without the dark collar on the breast. Length, 4.5, spread, 6.4 inches. History. — This very beautiful little war bler ranges from Mexico to the 46th parallel of latitude, aud is very common in the western states. It arrives in New England about the beginning of May. Its nest, ac cording to Audubon, is built in the upright forks of small trees, and is composed prin cipally of lichens, lined with downy sub stances. The eggs, about 4, are white, with a few reddish dots near the larger end. and posterior part of the rump, in the male, pale carmine. First primary longest, sec ond and third nearly equal. Bill yellow, brownish towards the point; very acute, upper mandible longest. Hind nad long as the toe. Length, 5.5 inches; spread, 9. History. — This species, though very rare, is quite widely difiiised, being found in Maine, New .Jersey and Oregon. The specimen from which the above description was made, was shot in Randolph, in the winter of 1850. They appeared there in flocks, and fed upon the seeds of weeds, which projected through the snow, in the open fields. They were not seen in the forests. Its notes were very much like those of the common yellow bird, F. tristis. In appearance it very closely resembles the Lesser Redpoll, F. linaria ; — so closely that there is some difiiculty in distinguish ing them. It is, however, somewhat larger, and its colors a little lighter, pai-ticularly on the rump. THE MEALY REDPOLL. Fringilla borealis.— Sayi. Description. — Above dusky, streaked with yellowish white and rusty. Wings aud tail, hair-brown, the feathers edged and tipped with yellowish white. Rump whitish. Crown dark rich crimson. Front let, lores and throat black. Beneath, gray ish white, streaked with dusky. Legs, feet acute! THE ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK. Coccoborus ludovicianus. — LiNX.i:rs. Description, — Head, chin and upper parts mostly black, varied with white on the wings and rump. Tad and wings brownish, with a broad white bar across the quills of the latter, and a narrower one on the wing coverts. Breast and under wing coverts carmine, or bright rose color. Beneath, yellowish white. BUl, cream color ; legs and feet grayish brown. Female brown above, spotted with dull white on the wings ; three yellowish white bands on the head, one passing from the bill over the croivn to the occiput, and one passing along each side of the head, just over the eye. Feathers on the breast yellowish, with a brown central streak ; under wing covei-ts sulphur yellow ; no rose color. Bill brown horn color. Tail slightly emarginate. Bill notched near the point. Second quill long est. Length, 8 inches; spread, 13. History. — The range of tliis bii-d is said to be from Texas to the 56th parallel of latitude. Though not numerous in Ver mont, they are frequently met with aud rear their young here. Its nest is usually built in thick forests, at a considerable height from the ground, and composed of twigs and lined with grass. The eggs are 4 or 5, bluish and spotted with brown. THE SCARLET TANAGER. Tn nagra r n b ra. — Linnaeus. Description.— The bill robust, rather short, compressed towards the point, and' The secrnd quill longest. Tail and naUs black. Cheeks, sides of the body | slightly forked. In the male, &e plumage NATURAL HISTORY. 25 crested woodpecker. CHIMNEY SWALLOW. SWALLOW TREES. is of a brilliant scarlet, excepting the wings and tail, which are black, and the under wing coverts, wliich are yellow. Bill and legs brownish horn color. Female and young dull green, or brownish yellow. Wings and tail, brown, with the feathers edged with greenish. Color of the bill and legs lighter than in the male. Length, 6.6 inches; spread, 10.5. HiSTORY.-r-This bird, on account of the bright red color of the male, is sometimes called the Fire Bird. It is also known in many places as the Blackwinged Red Bird. It rears its young in Vermont, but is said to extend its suramer migrations northward, as far as the 69th parallel of latitude. Its nest is usuaUy built on the horizontal branch of a forest tree, 10 or 15 feet from the ground. It is composed of sticks, weeds and vines, nicely put together, and lined with finer materials. The eggs are usually 4, of a dull blue color, spotted with difierent shades of brown. It is a shy bird, occupying retired places, and manifests great solicitude for the safety of its young. One of the nests of this bird, found by my indefatigable friend, Paine, in Randolph, was on the branch of a maple, in the skirt of a forest, was 10 feet from the ground, and composed of hemlock twigs, laced and bound together with fibrous weeds and strings. It was 1,5 inch deep, and con tained three eggs. The male bird showed much uneasiness when the discoverer approached the nest. THE CRESTED WOODPECKER. Picus pileatus. — Linn/Eus. Description. — General color black. Chin white, with a rusty white stripe over the eye, and another from the nostril extending backward along the side of the neck to the base ofthe wings, which are, on the under side, of a delicate straw color. Vanes of the basal part of the wing feathers, white on the upper side, but nearly concealed by the wing coverts, when the wing is closed. Crest and mustachios, in the raale, bright yellowish carraine red; crown variegated with black and golden yellow. Irides bright orange; bill and claws dark horn color, the bill a little lighter below, sharply ridged above and on the sides ; with the mandibles, which are of equal length, brought to vertical cutting edges at their points. Tongue slender, protractile and barbed towards the point. Tail wedge- shaped; feathers 12, stiff and pointed, cen tral ones longest. Length of the specimen here described, which was a female, 18 in ches; spread, 28; from the point of the bill to the feathers 2.4 ;to the top ofthe crest 4.5. Length of the folded wing, 9.5, — tail, 7, reaching three inches beyond the tip of the folded wing. History. — For the specimen here descri bed I was indebted to Mr. Austin Isham, of Williston, who shot it near Shelburne pond, on the 10th of November, 1851. It was a female, aud on skinning and dissecting it, I found in its craw more than 100 flat, jointed worras. They were, raost of thera, entire, about an inch long, and of a yellow ish white color; such, in short, as are very common between the bark and wood of old trees. The gizzard contained parts of worras, and a large quantity of the frag ments of ants and coleopterous insects, but no gravel. Though no where numerous, this Wood pecker is found in all parts of the United States and as far north as the 68d parallel of latitude. In Vermont it has been very generally called the Woodcock. It is a very restless and retired bird, confining hiraself chiefly to the depths of the forests, and hence he is much more frequently heard than seen. In the early part of spring, as is well known to those employed at that season in the raanufacture of maple sugar, his loud cackle and the sound of his powerful blows upon the old trees, are heard, reverberating through the naked forests, to a great distance. Like the other woodpeckers, it builds its nest in a cavity, hollowed out of an old tree, and lays about 6 purely white eggs. , CHIMNEY ¦ SWALLOW,— (Part 1—98.) Cypselus pelasgius. — Teji. In our account of this bird, we spoke of its habit, when the country was new, of resorting in immense numbers to hollow trees, in spring and autumn, and that there were many trees in this state, which were, on that accouiH, extensively known as swallow trees. Many of these trees had, probably, been resorted to by thousands of birds, year after year, for centuries. The consequence would naturally be, that the hollow, in whicli they roosted, would be gradually filled up from the bottom, by the excrement, cast off feathers, exuvia of in sects, and rotten wood ; and trees have been often found in this condition, long after the swallows had ceased to resort to them ; and even after they had been blown down, and had become rotten by lying. One of this kind, in Ohio, is described in Harris" Jour nal, anrl quoted in Wilson's Ornithology. The tree was a sycamore, five feet in diam eter, which had been blown down, and whose immense hollow was found filled, for the space of 15 feet, witha "mass of decayed feathers, with an admixture of 26 APPENDIX TO THOMPSON'S VERMONT. CHIMNEY SWALLOW. PASSENGER PIGEON. AMERICAN BITTERN. brownish dust and the exuvia of various insects." The remains of a tree of this description were found in this state, in Middlebury, so lately as the spring of 1852. The tree had been blown down, and had, nearly all, rotted away, leaving little besides the cyl indrical mass, whicli had filled its hollow. The length of this mass was about seven feet, and its diameter 15 inches. Of the raaterials, which composed it, about one half consisted of the feathers of the Chim ney Swallow, being, for the most jiart, wing and tail-feathers. The other half was made up of exuvia of insects, mostly fragraents and eggs of the large wood-ant, and a brown substance, probably derived frora the decayed wood of the interior of the tree. This discovery at Middlebury, though interesting, would not have been regarded as very remarkable, if the materials, which had filled the hollow of the tree, had been promiscuously and disorderly mingled to gether. Such a jumbled mass would be what we should expect to find in a hollow tree which had been, for centuries, per haps, the roosting place of myriads of Swal lows. But- this is not the case. Iu their general arrangement, the larger feathers have nearly all their quills pointing out ward, while their plumes, or ends on which their webs are arranged, point inward. This arrangement might perhaps have arisen frora the nesting of small qu.adru- peds in the hollow, making the feathers their bed. But this is not the most reraark able circumstance connected with the sub ject. In various parts of the raass, are found, in some cases, all the primary feathers of the wing; in others, all the feathers of the tail, lying together in con tact, and in precisely the same order and position, in which they are found in the living swallow. In a lump ofthe materials, measuring not more than 7 inches by 5, and less than 3 inches thiijk, five wings and two tails were plainly seen, with their feathers arranged as above mentioned, and, in one of the wings, all the secondary quills were also arranged in their true position with regard to the primaries. Now, we cannot conceive it possible that these feathers could be shed by living birds, and be thus deposited. We may suppose that the birds died there, and that their flesh had been removed by decay; or by in sects, without deriinging the feathers. But in that case, what has become of the skele tons ? I do not learn that a bono, beak, or claw, has been found in any part of the whole mass. What, then, has become of these ? They could hardly have been re moved by violent means, without disturb ing the feathers. But, if done quietly, what did it? Wh,at insect would devour the bones, and beaks, and claws, and not meddle with the quills ? Or would the formic, or any other acid, which might be generated within the raass, dissolve the former without aifeoting the latter ? These are questions, to which the savans have not yet returned any satisfactory response. A specimen, from the above mentioned feathery mass, was obtained, in May, 1852, by Mr. J. A. Jameson, Tutor in the Uni versity of Vermont, and presented, by him, to the Museum of that Institution, to be preserved as a relic of primeval Vermont. PASSENGER PIGEON.— (Part I, p. 100.) Columba migratoria. — Linn. Having learned that Pigeons had appear ed and reared their young in large numbers, in the spring of 1849, in several towns on the Green Mountains, particularly in Fays- ton and Warren, in Washington county, and being desirous in case they should re turn there the next spring, to visit the localities, for the purpose of observing the habits of the Pigeons, and securing some of their eggs for specimens, I addressed a note of inquiry to .Jacob Boyce, Esq., of Fayston. To this note I received the foUowinglreply: Fayston, June 28, 1850. Mr. Thompson : Sir, — I have,received yours of the 1 Oth inst. , requesting information about Pigeons. They are not here the present seiison. Last year they came here early in April, and commenced building their nests by the middle of that month ; and they left here with their young, .about the middle of June. Their nests extended over a territory of, at least, 8 ,000 acres. Above the height of 25 feet from the ground, the tops of the trees were covered with nests. Some large birches had from 100 to 125 nests on a tree. The nests consisted of bunches of sticks, placed in the crotches of the limbs. They laid only two eggs in a nest, and raised only one brood. There might have been any quantity of egss obtsiincd from the nests ; and great numbers of eggs rolled out of the nests and lay scattered on the ground, but I do not know that any of the eggs were preserved. Respectfully yours, JACOB BOYCE. AMERICAN BITTERN. Ardea minor. — Wilson. DEsoniPTioN-.- General color yellowish ferruginous, mottled and sprinkled with NATURAL HISTORY. 27 AMERICAN BITTERN. GREATER YELLOW-SHANES. SEMI-PALMATED SANDPIPER. dark brown. Crown dusky reddish brown. Chin and throat white, with reddish brown Stripe. From the angle of the mouth a brownish black stripe proceeds downward, becoming broader on the side ofthe neck, and turning upwards towards the back side, where it is lost. The quills are also brownish black. Feathers of the neck and breast have their central part along the shaft dark yellow, sprinkled thickly with brown, broadly margined with tawny cream color. Dorsal plumage dark umber b rown , with the feathers edged aud spotted with yellowish brown and tawny white. Plu mage about the vent and inside of the thighs, ochre-yellow. Legs, feet and nails greenish olive-brown. BiU dark greenish horn color, longer than the head, straight beneath, moderately arched above, stout, pointed, serrated on both mandibles, aud, on the upper, notched towards the point. Tibia bare nearly an inch abo^ e the joint. Middle toe longest, pectinated. Hind nail longest. Feathers on the back of the head and neck loose and elongated. Tail sraall, rounded, and of 10 feathers. Length of the speciraen before me, which is a female, 25 inches. Bill, along the gape, 4, along the ridge, 2.6 ; neck 11 ; folded wing 10 ; tail 3 ; tarsus 3 ; longest toe 3 ; longest nail 1.2. History. — The specimen of American Bittern described above, was presented to me by my friend, N. A. Tucker, Esq. It was shot by him iu his garden, in Burling ton village, where it had alighted, on the SOth of April, 1845. , It was a feraale, and contained several eggs, which were some what enlarged. About the flrst of June, Prof. J. Torrey found the nest of one of these birds in a swamp, in the east part of Burlington. It was made on the ground, of sticks and grass, was very shallow, and contained 6 eggs. The eggs were of a dark bluish browu clay color, and contained young, whii^ were considerably advanced. This bird is called by a great variety of names, but is most generally known iu Vermont by' the name of Stake Driver. This name is given it, on account of the resemblance of the sound, it makes in the breeding season, to that made by a smart blow and its echo, in driving a stake into the ground, resembling somewhat the un couth syllables of 'pump-au-gah. It is a" sly, solitary bird, and feeds on mice, aquatic reptiles and the larger insects, and though not often seen, its sound is not un frequently heard during the summer, pro ceeding from the depths of the swamps, in various parts of the state. Its range, ac cording to DeKay, is between the 38th and 58th parallels of latitude. THE GREATER YELLOW-SHANKS. Totanus melanoleucas. — Gemlin. Description. — Color of the upper parts brown, spotted with black and white. Bill, black; rump and tail dusky white, barred with brown. Throat, belly, and under tail coverts, white. Legs and feet yellow. A small black spot before the angle of the eye. Shaft of the first primary white. Length, 18 inches; folded wing, 7.25; bill,* along the ridge, 2. 1 ; under mandible short er, and both cylindrical towards the point. Tarsus 2.5 inches long; raiddle toe to the nail 1.5. A short web between the inner and middle toes. History. — This bird appears in Vermont in the latter part of May, proceeding north ward, where it is found in the summer up to the 60th degree of latitude. Some of them, however, remain in Vermont through the summer, and breed here. It builds its nest, according to Nuttall, in a tuft of rank grass, on the border of a creek or bog, and lays 4 eggs of a dingy white color, marked with spots of dark brown. The eggs are said to be remarkably large for the size of the bird. Perhaps its most' comraon vulgar name is that of Tell-Tale. THE SEMI-PALMATED SANDPIPER. Tringa semipalmata. — Wilson.] Description. — The bill is shorter than the head, straight, enlarged and flattened towards the end, and acutely pointed at the tip. Tibia one-fourth naked ; tarsus com pressed and of the length ofthe biU. Hind toe short aud small. First quill longest. Tail pointed, reaching beyond the folded wings ; middle feathers longest. The color of the bill is black ; the legs dark dusky olive. General color above grayish ash, thickly streaked and spotted with dusky brown, while the, feathers are edged with light gray and rufous- Frontlet and line over the eye, light gray. All beneath, white, excepting the breast and lower front of the neck, which are gray, with brownish spots aud streaks. Length, 6 inches; fold ed v/ing, 3.7 ; bill and tarsus each 0.8; raid- die toe, which is longest, including the nail, 0.8, History.. — This little Sandpiper ranges through all parts of the United States. It appears in Vermont iu May, and remains here till autumn, and undoubtedly breeds here, although I have not seen its nest. According to Nuttall, it makes its nest, early in June, of withered grass, and lays 4 or 5 eggs, which are white, spotted with brown. For the specimen above described I am indebted to Mr. C. S, Paine, of Ran dolph, who shot it in the fall of 1850. 28 APPENDIX TO THOMPSON'S VERMONT. RED-THROATED LOON. REPTILES OP VERMONT. GEOGRAPHIC TORTOISE. RED-THROATED LOON. Colymbus septentridnalis. Description. — Color of the head and upper parts of the neck, deep ash. Chin and sides of the mouth, White. Sides of the throat and neck, white, spotted, or striped with ash. Upper parts brownish spotted with white, the feathers usually having a white spot on each side toward the point. White beneath, with a brownish transverse band across the vent. Wings brownish black; second quill longest, flrst nearly equal. Tarsus much compressed, with a slight web along the edge, black on the outside and whitish on the inner side. Outward side of the feet, aud a part of the web on the inner side, blackish. Bill blu- isli black, lightest towards the point, nar row and pointed; upper mandible longest and a little curved ; lower, incurved on the sides, acute at the tip and grooved beneath. Tongue pointed, with a fringe at the base directed inward. Eye moderate ; irides dark purple ; pupils black. Length of the specimen above described, which is evi dently a young fowl, 24 inches ; bill, along the ridge, 1.7, beneath, 1.9, along the gap, 2.9; folded wing, 10.0; tarsus, 3.2; longest toe, (the outer,) 3.2, nail 0.8 Tail very short and rounded, reaching two inches beyond the folded wings. Adults have the head lead color, the upper parts blackish, the belly white, and a reddish stripe along the throat and neck. History. — The Loon above described was shot iu Burlington Bay, on the 1st day of November, 1846. It is very rare in Vermont, in coraparison with the C. gla- cialis, or Great Northern Diver, ^escribed in Part I, p. 111. They are common in the northern parts of both continents, and rear their young in the neighborhood of fresh water lakes. They lay their eggs, 2 in number, on a small quantity of down, or other soft materials, near the edge of the water. They are of a pale oil-green color, and are nearly 3 inches long aud 1| iu thick ness. This fowl is called, in England, the Sprat Loon, by the fishermen. It is known in some places by the name of Scape Grace. Note. — ^In Part I, Chap, iii, we have de scribed 141 species of Vermont Birds; and we have in this Appendix described 20 additional species, making the whole num ber described 161 species. And even this number falls very considerably short of the' whole number of species found in the state. I have specimens of several species, which are not here described, on account of doubts with regard to their proper names. And it is well known that we have a considera ble number of ducks aud other water fowl, which spend some time with us, in spring and fiill, in their annual migrations north and south. The Swan, Cygnus ameri canus, is occasionally met with, even in the small ponds in the interior of the state. My friend. Dr. Ariel Hunton, of Hydepark, informs me that a Swan was shot in Mud pond, in Cambridge, by Mr. Eliel Page, in 1841. It was very large, said to be six feet high, to spread its wings eight feet, and to weigh 57 pounds. These statements are doubtless exagerated , particularly the last. The length of the American Swan is usually stated at about 5 feet, and spread 7 feet. REPTILES OF VERMONT. Additional to Part I, Chapter iv. Although we are well satisfied that we have a considerable number of species of reptiles, which are not embraced in our list in Part I, page 113, we shall here add only the two following : Emys geographica. Geographic Tortoise. Trionyx ferox. Soft-shelled Tortoise. GEOGR.A.PHIG TORTOISE. Emys geographica. — Le Sueur. Description. — Shell oval, rather depress ed, smooth, widely emarginate in front, serrated behind, and deeply notched over the tail. Vertebral plates sbghtly carinate, the first hexagonal, rounded iu front — the thiee following somewhat larger, subequal, and hexagonal. The two intermediate lateral plates largest, and pentagonal — the posterior rhomboidal Marginal plates 25, the three fir.st on each side subequal, with a nearly equal margin,— the three follow ing restricted, with their outward margins turned upwards; the seventh slightly tum ed upwards and widening posteriorly. The five remaining ones on each side are two toothed on their outer margins, the biden- tations becoming more distinct to the last. Sternum deeply notched behind, and slight ly before — scapular plates small, triangu lar — brachial plates truni'ate, triangular ; third pair of plates narrow, with their ex terior edges projecting laterally and back ward, and joining the 4th and 5th marginal plates at their junction, — the fourth pair largest and joining the fifth marginal plate and a small intermediate one ; five pairs of trapeziums, with the longest of the parallel sides outward ; caudal plates rounded pos teriorly, with ihe two str.iight sides forming an acute angle Head moder.ately large • edges of the jaws very sharp. Legs rather long : upper sides of the fore legs covered with flat roundish scales, largest on the outer margin ; fore feet armed with five NATURAL HISTORY. 29 GEOGRAPHIC TORTOISE. SOFT-SHELLED TORTOISE. sharp incurved claws ; hind feet broad, pal mate, covered with flat scales towards the posterior margin, and armed with five claws, longer but less curved than on the fore feet. Tail conical, pointed, and reach ing IJ inch beyond the shell. Color, green ish brown, with meandering yellow lines, crossing one another in various directions. Under side of the marginal plates greenish yellow, with numerous and somewhat regu lar brown markings. Sternum, yellowish flesh-color. Head, neck and legs, beauti fully striped with brownish and yellow. Jaws of a uniforra yellowish umber, — a yellow spot on each side of the head, back of the eye. Eyes yellow, with a horizontal black stripe. Sutures, at the jimction of the plates above, a little elevated. Length of the shell, 10 inches ; breadth, 8.5; length of the head, 2.75; width, 1.8; between the orbits, 0.5 ; width of the pahnated hind foot, 2.4; length of the tail, from the attach ment of the vertebrae, 3.3 ; beyond the shell, 1.25. History. — ^The specimen here described, was taken in Colchester, near the mouth of Winooski river, on the 28th of May, 1846. It was a female, containing 14 mature eggs in the oviduct, with about the same number, considerably developed, and innuraerable small ones, in the ovaries. She was crawl ing very fast over the sandy plain, when taken, and was evidently in search of a suitable place for depositing her eggs. The form of the mature eggs, was that of an ellipsoid, with one end a trifle larger than the other, and they differed not sensibly in size, being 1.4 inch long, 0.9 thick, and having their greatest circumference 3.7 in., and least, 2.9. The oviduct, containing the mature eggs, was taken from the abdor men, cut into three pieces, and laid aside, and, in the course of ten minutes, by re peated visible contractions, or throes, all the eggs were expelled from it. Another female of this species was taken, June 10th, 1846, near Clay Point, in Col chester. She was sitting over a hole she had excavated in the sand, in the act of depositing her eggs, and made no effort to escape when approached. Her oviduct was fllled with mature eggs. I learn that in ploughmg the sandy lands near this Point, nests of this tortoise, containing from 12 to 20 eggs, have been frequently laid open. The chief habitat of this species is in the states at the south-west, and I was not aware of its existence in New England, at the time of the publication of my History of Vermont, inl842. Since that time, I have found that it is quite coraraon all along the eastern shore of Lake Champlain. It has not, however, to my knowledge, been found any where else in New England ; and, for 4 the present, this may be regarded as its eastern limit. The dimensions ofthe shell of this species, given by Dr. DeKay, are : length, 6.5 in. ; breadth, 5, and height 8. Most of those observed in this vicinity have been from 7 to 10 inches long, and from 6 to 8.5 broad. Their flesh is said to be a very palatable article of food. Genus Trionyx. — Geoffroy. Generic Characters. — Shell mthoufc plates, and, together ,with the stermim, cartilagmous, and ex tending over the edges into a flexible margin. Feet pahnated, with three sharp claws. A corneous beak, covered with fleshy lips. Nose produced. Vent near the extremity of the tail. //. ^' SOFT-SHELLED TORTOISE. Trionyx ferox. — Gmelin. Description. — General color ofthe shell brownish olive, above, with ocellated spots, forraed mostly by a circular arrangement of black dots, and with a border formed of black dots around the margin of the shell. The spots are usually about the size of a dirae. In dried specimens, the color is nearly black, and the spots very obscure. All the under parts dull white, or light flesh-color. A bright yellow line, edged on both sides with black, extends from the snout to each eye, and from the eyes back wards, till lost in the marbhng of the neck. Irides bright yellow, crossed by a black medial stripe. Upper side of the legs vari ed with black and yellow. Form orbicular ; shell bony in the central part, with the raargin cartilaginous, soft and flexible. Head long and pointed, snout projecting beyond the jaws, with large open nostrils at the extremity. Jaws horny, with Ihe lips, fleshy and revolute. Upper side of the legs, next the margin of the shell, covered with horny scales. Five toes on each foot, three of which have well developed claws, the others are enveloped in a web, forming paddles for swimming. Tail projects less than an inch beyond the shell, with the vent near the extremity. 30 APPENDIX TO THOMPSON'S VERMONT. SOPT-SHELLED TORTOISE. FISHES OP VERMONT. GROUND PIKE-PERCH. Dimensions: — Length of the shell, 13 inches ; breadth, 10| ; height, 3^ ; head, 2^ ; head and neck, 7. History. — The existence of this species of Tortoise in our waters, was not even sus pected by me at the time of the publication of ray History of Verraont, iu 1842. My first specimen of it, I obtained on the 10th of August, 1844. It was caught on a fish hook, in the river Lamoille, in Milton, by Mr. Joseph Dupau, to whom I have been indebted for many interesting specimens of reptiles and fishes. Since that time 1 have obtained several other specimens, which were taken in or near the mouth of Winoo ski river, in Burlington. Most of these I kept alive for some weeks, but I could induce none of them to take any food; and, although it might be inferred, from the name, ferox, that they were of a ferocious disposition, I could never cause either of them to bite at a stick, notwithstanding I frequently provoked them for that pur pose. The specimen, which furnished the ma terials for the preceding description, was taken in a seine, at the mouth of Winooski river, on the 6th of May, 1848. I kept it alive till about the middle of June, when I killed and skinned it. It was a female, and her ovary contained 29 eggs, enlarged to near the size of a musket ball, besides innumerable minute eggs. The Trionyx ferox, though common in the western waters, has not, to my know- •ledge, been found any where iu New Eng land, excepting the western parts of Ver mont, along the margin of Lake Champlain ; but it would sefem, from the diraensions given by naturalists, that it attains a lar ger size here than at the west, where it is more common. The shells of three speci mens, taken in this vicinity, measured as follows, viz : Length, Breadth. Height. 1. 11 inches; 9.5 inches. 2.2 inches. 2. 13 " 10.75 " 3.2 " 3. 13.5 " 11 " 3.5 " The dimension of the shell of this species, given by Dr. DeKay, Zoology of New York, Part III, p. 6, are : length, 5.3 in. ; breadth, 5 in.; height, 1.4. This species resembles the sea-turtle, in its structure and habits, much more than our other tortoises. It leads a more aquatic life, and, probably seldora, if ever, crawls out upon the land, except for the purpose of depositing its eggs. On account of the shortness of its logs, and the great width of •the shell, it travels upon land with much difSculty, especially where the surface is uneven, or covered with vegetation. Itsflesh is esteemed a wholesome and nutritious article of food. FISHES OF VERMONT. Additional to Part I, Chapter y. To our list of Verraont Fishes, given in Part I, page 128, we now add the following species : Lucio-perca canadensis, Ground Pike PSrch. Boleosoma tassellatum, Darter. Cottus gobioides. Little Stargazer. LeucUcus atromaculatus, Small scaled Dace. Esox nobilior, Masquallonge. Salmoperca pellucida, Trout Perch. Core^onus clupeifor-mis, Herring Salmon. A-mia ocellicauda, Bowfin. THE GROUND PIKE-PERCH. Lucio-perca canadensis. — Smith. L . grisea, DslKat, Zoology of New York, Part IV. , page 19. Description. — General form elongated, cylindrical, and projiortionally raore slen der along the abdomen than in the common Pike-Perch, but the head and opercules resemble that species very closely. The preoperculum is finely serrated on the pos terior raargin, and more coarsely below. There are also fine serratures on the lower margins of the preoperculum and suboper- culum, near their junction. Instead of a single ridge proceeding from the upper anterior angle of the operculum, and ter minating backward in a single spine, there are usually several ridges radiating thenoe, and often terminating in the opposite mar gin in very acute spines. Humeral bones armed posteriorly with several spines. Vent midway between the ventrals and the caudal fin. The anal fin commences under the fourth ray of the second dorsal. The first dorsal begins in a vertical line, pass ing through the base of the ventrals. Cau dal forked. General color grayish or brownish yel low, or orange, lightest beneath. First dorsal sprinkled with roundish black spots of the size of a small pea, usually arranged in two or three rows, nearly- parallel to the line of the back, but without the black patch on the posterior p^rt, which forms a conspicuous raark in the L. americana. Second doi-sal, and the caudal, barred with black, or brown. Usual length, 13 inches. Rays, B. 7, D. 13-1|18, P. 13, V. 115, A 12, C. 17^ History.— When the Natural, Civil and Statistical History of Vermont was publish ed, I was well satisfied that the species here described was distinct from the L. americana, but was not so clear whether it was a species already described, or not. The difference between tliis species and the L. americana is so obvious, that they are instantly distinguished, even when tliere is no ditference in size ; but while the latter NATURAL HISTORY. 31 the darter. LITTLE STAR-GAZEK. species often exceeds two feet iu length, and weighs five orsix pounds, the L. canadensis seldom, if ever, exceeds 14 inches iu length, or half a pound in weight. It is much less common in Lake Champlain than the L. americana, but is frequently taken in company with it. It usually swims very near the bottom of the water, and hence it has received the name of Ground Pike, (Pike-Perch). As an article of food, this species is held in the same high esteem, as the Common Pike-Perch. Genus Boleosoma, — DeKay. Generic Characters. — Two dorsal fins. Opercule scaly, with a single spine. Preopercule smooth on the margin. Six branchial rays. Nape depressed, contracted. ,«: THE DARTER. Boleosoma tassellatum. — DeKay. Description. — A small fish, with a row of quadrated black spots, about seven in number, along the dorsal ridge, occupying about one-half of the space. A row of lozenge-shaped black spots, a little smaller than those on the back and about the same in number, along the lateral line, on each side of the body. General color of the re maining parts brownish yellow, approach ing to white on the belly. Eyes moveable in their sockets ; pupils black, surrounded by a golden line, which fades outward into a gray iris. Fins yellowish white, with iiiint brownish bars on the dorsals and caudal fin. Body cylindrical, covered with rough scales. Head rather small ; eyes large and projecting ; nape depressed. History. — The habits of this fish are quite peculiar. It moves not from place to place by an even labored motion, like other fishes, but proceeds by sudden leaps, or darts, impelling itself forward by its tail and pectoral fins, which it moves as a bird does its wings. It reraains suspended in the water no longer than it keeps its pec toral fins in rapid motion. When the mo tion of its fins ceases, the fish sinks, at once, to the bottom, showing that its spe cific gravity is greater than water, owing, doubtless, to its want of a swimming blad der. When it reaches the bottom, it alights upon its stiff .ventral fins, upon whicli it stands on the bottom, balanced, with its head elevated, as a bird stands on its feet. I kept several specimens of this fish alive, in a vessel of water, for some time, for the ! purpose of watching their motions and learning their habiffl. They were very uneasy, and seemed extremely anxious to escape from their confinement. Aided by their caudal and pectoral fins, in giving them an impulse upwards, and by their ventrals in climbing and adhering, they would 'often raise themselves up the per pendicular side of the vessel, entirely above the surface of the water, excepting only the caudal fin. Another peculiarity of this fish, is its power of bending its neck and moving its head without moving the body, in which respect it equals many of the reptiles. This fish is entitled to the name of Darter, both from its sudden motion, and from its having the general form of a dart. THE LITTLE STAR-GAZER. Cottus gobioides. — Girard. Description,- — Color, blackish on the back, mottled with light yellow ; abdomen white ; lower parts of the sides and under parts posterior to the vent, yellow — all the under parts finely sprinkled with black specs. Fins ; first dorsal blackish, edged with red ; all the others barred with brown and yellow, except the ventrals, which are white, close together, and a little behind the pectorals. Teeth sharp and fine, like velvet pile, on both jaws. Tongue large and fleshy, with a patch of teeth. Head large, broad, and a little flattened, with the eyes, which are large, on the upper side and near together. A sharp, stout spine on the preoperculum. Lips rather fleshy, and the upper one a little protractile. — Body thick forward, tapering very fast towards the tail. Lateral line nearest the back, consisting of a furrow with the edges a little raised. Caudal fin rather large, and nearly even. Pectorals very large, and rounded. Ventrals long and narrow. Vent anterior to the middle. Skin thickly covered with mucus. No scales. Total length, 4 inches ; to the commence ment ofthe firs't dorsal fin, 1.2; to the vent, 1.7. Width ofthe head, 0.95. Fin Rays, B. 6, D. 7—17, P. 14, A. 12, C. 15. History. — For the specimen here descri bed, I was indebted to the kindness cf Mr. R. Colberth. He caught it, while fishing for trout, in a branch of the river Lamoille, in Johnson. This fish usually lies still at the bottom, or concealed under the stones in the streams, and seldom moves, except when disturbed, and then its motions are sluggish and labored. It is called, in some places, the Slow Fish. It probably derived the name of Star- Gazer, from the favorable position of its ' 32 APPENDIX TO THOMPSON'S VERMONT. small-scaled dace. masquallonge. eyes for looking upwards, they being placed very near the top of'the head. It seldom exceeds 4 inches in length. Mr. Girard ascertained our Cottus to be an undescribed species from the identical specimen, which I have described here, and he gave it the name of C. gobioides, from its strong resemblance to the Cottus gobio of Europe. His description of the fish, accompanied by a beautifully engraved figure of it, is contained in his valuable Monograph ofthe Cottus Family of Fishes, published in the second volurae of Smith sonian Contributions to Knowledge, SMALL-SCALED DACE. Leueiscus atromaculatus. — Mitch. Description. — Color of the head and back dark oUve-brown ; sides lighter, often with bronzy reflections, and passing into a whitish flesh-color on the belly. Dorsal, caudal and outer margins of the pectoral fins, brownish ; inner raargins of the pec torals, the ventrals and the anal fin, dull orange. Eyes rather small ; pupil black, surrounded by a fine golden line ; iris brown. Scales small and crowded, as far backward as the ventrals. Lateral line begins at the top of the gill opening, bends .rapidly downward over 11 scales, aud then runs a straight course to the tail, passing over, in the whole, 60 scales. Tail luna- ted. Pectoral and ventral fins rounded. A squarish distinct black spot on the ante rior part of the base of the dorsal fin. Length of the specimen described, 6.5 inches; to the pectoral fins, 1,5 ; dorsal 3 ; vent, 3.75 ; anal, 3.9; to base of caudal, 5.5 ; width between the eyes, 0.6 ; head, 0.8. Rays, D. 8, P. 16, V. 8, A. 8, C. 19. Hiltory. — This is one of the most cora raon fishes of this genus iu the western part of Verraont. It abounds alraost every where, both in the rivers and small streams. Its insipidity and small size prevent its being sought as an article of food ; but, as it takes the hook with grgat readiness, it affords the boys an opportunity to indulge in the cruel sport of catching them for mere amusement. They are also caught to be used as bait in taking larger fishes. MASQUALLONGE. Esox nobilior. — ^Thomp^on. E.WIC estor, Eichardson Faun.i Bpreali, Partnr,-127. Esox estor, Herbert's rrank Forester's Tish and I'iahing. Description. — Back nearly black; sides bluish gray, mostly covered with irregular roundish dark-brown spots, usually about an inch in diameter, and often confluent, with a few meandering yellowish lines. Belly grayish white, with ruddy tinges. Fins dark brown ; pectorals ruddy. Eyes moderately large ; pupils black, surrounded by a bright yellow ring, which fades onU ward over the irides into grayish orange. Length of the specimen before me, 48 inches, from the tip of the under jaw, which is longest, to the extremity of the tail ; to the anterior nostril, 4 inches ; to the orbit, 5 ; to the nape, or beginning of the scales, 8 ; to posterior edge ofthe preo perculum, 8.5; do, ofthe operculum, 10.5; the beginning of ventral flns, 24.5 ; do. dor sal, 31.5 ; do. .anal, 32.5 ; to the centre of the base of the caudal, 42.75; width be tween the orbits, 3. Fins : dorsal, length, 5; height4, — pectorals, length, 1.7; height 5, — ventrals, length, 1.5 ; height, 4, — anal, length, 4 ; height 4 5, — caudal, 4 across the base; longest rays, 6.25. Lower part of the cheek, in front of the preoperculum, naked. Face nearly flat between the orbits. Rays, D, ^18, P. 16, V. -1-12, A. ^16, C. IQj. History. — This fish has, tiU lately, been confounded with the Esox estor, or Com mon Pike, or Lake Pickerel. When my description of the E. estor was published, in 1842, I doubted the existence of this species in our lake, but since that tirae my mind has changed on the subject. InMay, 1847, 1 received from my friend, the Hon. A. G. Whittemore,'* of Milton, a fish caught near the mouth of the river Lamoille, which the fishermen called Masquallonge. It was 26 inches long, and weighed about 6 pounds. Upon examining it, I was fully satisfied that it was of a species distinct &om E. estor, and, as I could find no description of it under any other name, I made out a description and gave it the name of Esox nobilior. In April, 1848, 1 received another speci men frora the same source, which weighed 19 lbs., andwas 414 inches long. InMay, 1849, two specimens were brought along, both caught neai- the mouth ofthe Lamoille, one of which weighed 40, and the other 27 pounds. I purchased the latter, and from it the preceding description is chiefiy di-awn. Believing this species to attain a larger size, and to be a more excellent fish for the table, than .any other epeoies of the Pike * Since the above \v:i3 written, I have received in telligence of the dentil of my esteemed friend, Albert O, Whittemore, Esq, He wns accidentally killed at Zanfsvillc, Ohio, on the 10th of November, 1S52, aged G5 yciu-s; where he M-ns entjaged as conti-iietor on tiie rail road from that place to Wheeling, He was a gentleman of intelligence aud enterprise, and of many estimable qualities as a man aud a citizen. NATURAL HISTORY. 33 ULASQUjiLLONGE, TROUT-PERCH. family, found in the United States, I have given it the specific name of nobilior. It is a fish, which is eagerly sought, and com mands the highest price in market,' but it is rare in Lake Champlain, compared with E. estor, or Common Pike. Very good figures of both of these speeies are given in Frank Forester,s Fish and Fishing, but both under wrong names ; the E. nobilior being figured under the name of E. estor, and the E. estor under that of E. lucioides. The vulgar name, Masquallonge, ap pears to have been given by the early French settlers of Canada to the Pikes and Pickerels generally, it being a term, or phrase, descriptive of the whole family, Masque, signifying face or visage, and allonge, lengthened, — they all having lengthened, or elongated heads. In modern times this name, Masquallonge, has been confined, by the fishermen, to the species here described, whUe the other species bear the vulgar name of Pike, or Pickerel. The methods of spelling this Canadian-French name, have been almost as numerous as the authors, who have used it, as may be seen by the following list : ed in two ovaries, which extended nearly the whole length of the cavity. This fish abounds much more in the streams and smaller lakes in Canada than iu Lake Champlain, Genus Salmoperca. — Thompson. Generic Characters.— Two' Aoistd flns, the first supported by flexible rays, aud the second adipose, as in the trouts . Opercules smooth. A band of flne teeth in each jaw. Scales with seiTated edges, as in the perches. Maskallonge, Masquinongy, Maskinonge,Muskallonge,MuskeUunge, Le Sueur, Dr. Mitchell, "Dr. Richardson. Dr. Kirtland, Dr, DeKay. The oldest forms of this name, it will be seen, approach nearest, both in spelling and pronunciation, to the phrase Masque allonge, which we have supposed to be its origin, and, therefore, afford presumptive proof of the correctness of our supposition. This fish may usually be distinguished from the Coramon Pike by its dark circular markings, and its more robust proportions. Its head is proportionally shorter, the face flatter and less grooved, and the width across the eyes and upper jaw greater than in the estor. But, perhaps, the mark by which it may be most readily distinguished is on the cheek, the lower half of the cheek in the E. nobilior, in front of the preoper culum, being naked, or without scales, while in the E. estor the whole cheek is covered with scales. The difference in the general aspect of the two species raay be seen by comparing the flgure of the E. estor below, with the E. nobilior at the head of this article. Esox estor. — LeSuedr. The specimen here described was a female, with her abdomen filled with eggs, contain- TROUT-PERCH. Salmoperca pellucida. — Thompson. Percopsis guttatus, Agassiz Lake Superior, p. 284, aud Plate I., flg. 1 and 2. Description. — General color, light brown ish yellow, with longitudinal rows of brown spots, about one-tenth of an inch in diame ter, usually one row along the dorsal line, and two rows on each side between this and the lateral line. A broad satin stripe em braces the lateral line. Belly white. Fins and flesh translucent-tbe vertebral column, the contents of the abdomen, and portions of the head, only appearing opaque, when held towards the light. Fins all large, in proportion to the size of the flsh. The rays of the pectorals reach backward half of their length beyond the ventrals, which are attached near the middle of the abdomen, and under a point a little anterior to the first dorsal, and reach backward to the vent. The anal fin has its first ray short and spinous. Caudal fin forked. Nostrils and eyes large ; irides yellow. A depression on the head, between the orbits, divided longitudinally by a, long ridge. Scales rather large and rough, having finely ser rated edges. Length, frora 3 to 5 inches. The following are the measurements of one out of three living speciraens before me, when the above description was made : Total length, 3.9 inches; to the pectoral fin, 1; to ventral, 1.45; first dorsal, 1.5; anal, 2.1 ; adipose, 2.6 ; central base of caudal, 3.2. Fin rays, B. 6, D. ^10-0, P. 13, V. 8,A.1|7, C. 18|. History. — The first Imowledge I had of this fish was in the summer of 1841, when I found a specimen of it, 5 inches long, which was dead, and had been drifted up by the waves on the lake shore, in Burling ton. On examining it, I found it to possess the adipose and abdominal fins ofthe trouts. 34 APPENDIX TO THOMPSON'S VERMONT. TROUI-PEROH. HERRING SALMON. but, in its teeth, gill covers and particu larly in its hard serrated scales, to bear considerable resemblance to the perch fam ily. After searching all the books within my reach, without finding it described, concluded that it might be new, both in genus and species, aud accordingly, in allusion to the above mentioned properties, I described it in ray journal under the pro visional generic name of Salmoperca, A notice of this fish was omitted in my His tory of Vermont, published in 1842, because I had then only one specimen, and, upon that one, with my little experience, I did not think it prudent to found a new genus and species. When Prof. Agassiz was at Burlington, in 1847, 1 submitted the above mentioned specimen to his inspection, hav ing at that time obtained no others. At first sight, he thought it might be a young fish of the salmon family, but, upon further examination, he said it was not a salmon, nor any other fish with which he was ac quainted. During the summer of 1847, I fo-and three other specimens of this fish, detid, on the lake shore. One of these I took with me to Boston, in September, to the meeting of the Association of American Geologists and Naturalists, and put it iuto the hands of my friend D. H. Storer, M. D., with a request that he would ascertain what it was, and let rae know. In May, 1849, 1 obtained from Winooski river a number of living specimens, which I kept alive for some time; and, observing tho great translucency of the living fish, when held up towards the light, I gave it the specific name ot pellucida, having pre viously called it, in ray journal, eoceta, trow, its wing-like pectoral fins. About this time I noticed, in the pro ceedings of the Boston Society of Natural History, that Prof. Agassiz had laid before the Society an account cf a new genus of fishes discovered by him in Lake Superior. which he proposed to call Percopsis. Sus pecting, from the brief description given of it, that it was identical with my Salmo perca, I wrote to Dr. Storer and inquired of him, if the specimens from Lake Superi or, presented to the Society by Prof Agas siz, were like the one I put into his hands in 1847. He wrote me that he could not say — that the specimen went out of his hands soon after he received it, and he had not seen it since. In Prof. Agassiz Lake Superior, page 248, I find an account of his genus Per copsis, and his species P. guttatus, and 1 have no doubt that it is identical with my Salmoperca pellucida. Still, I have thought it best to let it remain, in this Appendix, uuder the name I had given. HERRING SALMON. Coregonus clupeiformis. — Mitch, Coregonus artedi. — LeSueur. Argyrosomus clupeiformis. — Agassiz Lake Supe rior, p, 339, Description,— Color of the back bluish brown; sides lighter, with silvery reflec tions ; belly white. Gill covers and cheeks, with silvery and cupreous reflections. Head small, pointed and somewhat flattened above; under jaw longest; mouth small, without teeth ; eyes large, round — irides silvery yellow. Scales large and circular. Lateral line distinct, nearly straight, and passes over 72 scales; 13 rows of scales be tween the first dorsal and the ventral fin — a long slender bract at the base ofthe ven trals. Pectoral fins long and pointed ; ventrals under the* anterior part of the dorsal, and triangular ; first dorsal nearly midway between the point of the lower jaw and the extremity of the caudal fin ; second dorsal adipose and over the posterior part ofthe anal, and triangular; caudal forked. Length, total, 14 inches; to the posterior edge ofthe operculum, 2.4 ; to the beginning ofthe dorsal fin, 6; to the ventrals,''6.2; to the vent, 9 ; to the anal, 9.3 ; to the adipose, 10.2; to the central base ofthe caudal, 12; greatest depth in front of the first dorsal, y.5; thickness, 1.4. Length ofthe longest fin rays : first dorsal, 1.6 ; Pectoral, 1.5; Ventral, 1.4; Anal, 1, and Caudal 2. ys, B. 8, D. ^10,-0, P. 4, V. J-11, A. ill, C. 18|. History. -This fish is only occasionally met with in Lake Champlain, but they some times appear here iu myriads. In the spring of 1847, they were, for a short time, taken at Burlington, in very large num bers ; as many as 200 being taken at one haul of the seine. In some years none at all are taken here. The specimen from which the preceding description is made was taken in 1848, and I learned of only two others being taken that season. It re sembles, somewhat, the Lake Shad, C. al- bus, but is a rounder fish, having much less depth in propoi'tion to its length. It is much esteemed as an article of food. It is common in Lake Ontario and Lake Erie, and is called in many places the Shad Salmon. .NATURAL HISTORY. 35 THE BOWFIN. BOTANY OP VERMONT. Genus Amia. — Linneeus. Generic Characters. — Small paved teeth behind tlie conical ones. Head flattened, naked, with con spicuous sutures. Twelve flat gill-rays. A large buckler ))etween the branches of the lower jaw. Boi'sal long. Anal short. Aiv-bladder cellular, like the lungs of reptiles. THE BOWFIN. Amia ocellicauda. — Richardson. Amia occidentalis. — ^DeKat. DEsCRiPTioN.-General color above, brown, waved with dull bronzy yellow, approaching to white on the belly, and having the sides sprinkled with yellowish white spots. Pec toral, ventral and anal fins, brownish ; dor sal and caudal with alternate bars of brown and brownish white, A large and con spicuous black spot near the upper part of the tail, at the base of the 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th rays of the caudal fin. ' Head without scales, covered with scabrous bony plates ; opercules bony, with membranous edges. GUI-rays flat. Cartilaginous buck ler between the branches of the lower jaw. Two short cirri on the upper lip. Eyes moderate, deeply sunken. Jaws broad, rounded and even. A row of sharp conical teeth in each jaw, paved behind with short blunt teeth. Scales large and thin. Late ral line distinct, nearly straight, nearest the back, on the anterior part of the body, crossing 70 scales, which are smaller than those adjacent. Attachment of the caudal flu oblique — caudal rounded. Total length of the specimen before me, 19.2 inches ; from the snout to the upper side of the gill- opening, 4 ; to the beginning of the dorsal, 6,8 ; to the ventrals, 9 ; to the anal, 11,5 ; to the lower edge of the caudal. 15 ; depth behind the pectorals, 8.6. Width of the head, 3 ; back of the pectorals, 2.6. Dis tance between the eyes, and from the orbits to the end ofthe snout, 1.3 each ; between the cirri, 0.6. Length of the dorsal fin, 8.7; height, 1.2, — commences midway be tween the pectorals and ventrals, and reaches almost to the tail. Fin Rays, D. 48, P. 17, V. 7, A. ^8, C.21. History. — This fish abounds upon the muddy bottoms and the marshy coves of the southern part of Lake Champlain. It is very plentiful in the vicinity of White hall, and also about the mouth of Otter Creek. Frora its partiality to muddy bot toms, it has acquired, in many places, the name of Mud Fish. From its resemblance in form to the Ling, it is called in some places the Scaled Ling. But its raore common appellation in Vermont, is that of Bowfin. It attains to considerable size, frequently exceeding two feet in length, and weighing 10 or 12 pounds ; but its flesh is soft and ill flavored, very little esteemed as an article of food. BOTANY OP VERMONT. Additional to Part I. , Chapter vii. Tn the flrst edition of my Gazetteer of Vermont, published in 1824, 1 gave a sim ple catalogue of the plants then known to be indigenous, in this state. The materials for that catalogue were derived, principal ly, from a list of plants growing in the vicinity of Middlebury, prepared by Dr. Edward James, and published, in 1821, in Prof. Frederick Hall's statistical account of Middlebury. The additions to this list were mostty furnished by Dr. Williara Pad dock, Prof, of Botany in the University of Vermont. At that tirae, very little atten tion had been given to the scientific botany of the state, and the whole number of plants contained in my catalogue was only 569. Between 1824 and the publication of my general history of Vermont, in 1842, our state was explored by several eminent botanists from abroad, and by a number of enthusiastic disciples of Linnaeus, raised up in our midst, by whose united labors our list of known indigenous plants was greatly enlarged. While engaged in collecting to gether these scattered materials, for the purpose of raaking ray Catalogue as cora plete as possible, in .the work I was pre paring for publication, I was so fortunate as to become acquainted with the late Wm. Oakes, Esq., of Ipswich, Mass. He was at that tirae engaged in investigating the botany of the western part of Vermont, and he very generously undertook, for me, the systeraatic arrangement of a complete Catalogue of Vermont plants. I, there fore, put into his hands my former cata logue and all the additional materials, I had accumulated, and the full and beau tifully arranged Catalogue in Part I, Chap ter VII, is the result of his labor. That Catalogue contains 929 species of Vermont plants, and is an honorable memorial of its 36 APPENDIX TO THOMPSON'S VERMONT. BOTANY OP VERMONT. CATALOGUE OP PLANTS. Author, both of his kindness as 3- friend, and of his zeal and accuracy as a botanist*. Since the publication of the Catalogue above mentioned, the number of known * It is my painful duty here to record the death of my esteemed friend, William Oakes, Esq, He was drowned on the 31st of July, 1848, while passing from Boston to East Boston, iMder circumstances which left it doubtful, whether by accident, or in a temporary flt of insanity, to which he was subject. He was 49 yeai-s of age. Vermont plants has been considerably in creased, and we have doubtless many more species to reward the labors of botanists. By the kindness of several friends, I am enabled to add to the previous list 105 species, making in the whole 1034. For the arrangeraent of these additional species, and for the identification of a large nuraber of thera, I am indebted to the kindness of my friend, Prof. Joseph Ton-ey, D. D., ofthe University of Vermont. CATALOGUE OP VERMONT PLANTS. Continuedfrom page 111, Part I. CEASS I. EXOGENOUS OR DICOTYEEDONOUS PEANTS. CARDER RANUNCULACEiE. Clematis, Linn. viorna, Wildn. Found at Castleton, by Mrs. L Carr. A very rare species. June, July. Anemone, Haller. aconytifolia, Mx. Castleton. Mrs. L C. Ranunculus, L. fascicularis, Muhl. Low grounds. Burlington, 7^. Brattleborough, C. C. Frost. Order MAGNOLIACE^. Liriodendron, L. tulipifera, L. A tree not rare in the southern part of this state, fifty years ago. Some large specimens are still left iu Bennington county, valley of the Hoosic river. Mrs. X C. Order CRUCIFER^. Nasturtium, JJ. Br. hispidum, D. C, Low grounds, Burlington. Also found in Brattleborough, C. C. F. Arabis, X. lyrata, L. Mountain-garden, Willoughby lake. C. C. F. May. canadensis, L. Rocks below Winooski Falls; Colchester. T. June. Cardamine, X. rotundifolia, Mx. In Vermont, locality not specified. Dr. Robbins. Virginica, Mx. Hill-sides, Vt. A. Wood. June. Sisymbrium, All. thaliana. Gay. Rocks and sandy fields, Vermont. A. Wood. May. Draba, X. verna, L. Willoughby lake. A. W. May. Erysimum, X. cheiranthoides, L. Brattleborough, C. C. F. Isatis, X. tinctoria. Banks and islands of Winooski river; Burlington, T. Probably in troduced. Order VIOLACEiE. Viola, X. Selkirkii, Goldie. Rich cedar swamps. Grand Isle, T pedata, L. Brattleborough. C. C. F. April, May. Order HYPERICACEiE. Hypericum, X. sarothra, Mx. Brattleborough, C. C. F. July, August * The authority to which T. refers in this catalogue, is Prof. Joseph Ton-ey, ofthe University of Vermont. NATURAL HISTORY. 37 ' botany op vermont. catalogue op plants. Order CARYOPHYLLACE^. Saponaria, X. officinalis, ll. Brattleborough, JF'. Banks of Castleton river. Mrs. J. C. Silene, X. inflata. Smith. Brattleborough, F. Castleton, Mrs. J. C. June. Sagina, X. procumbens, L. Brattleborough, F. June. .Order PORTULACE^. Claytonia, X. ' Virginica, L. Intervale lands iu Colchester. Quite distinct from the species Caroliniana, Mx. , T. April, May. Order ACERACEjE. Negundo, Moench. aceroides, Moench. Abundant in some localities on the banks of Winooski river, Burlington and Colchester, T. April. Order BHAMNACE.a;. Rhamnus, X. catharticus, L. Bethel, R. Green. July. Order LEGUMTNOSjE. Astragalus, X. Canadensis, L. Burlington, near Red Rocks, R'. Benedict. July. Hedysarum, X. boreale, Nutt. Willoughby lake. A. Wood. June, July. Order ROSACEjE. Sanguisorba, X. Canadensis, L. Brattleborough, C. C. F. July. Rubus, Tourn. IdiEus. Cambridge, Dr. Robbins. June. Order ONAGBACE^. Epilobium, X. molle, Torr. Intervals, Burlington, T. June. Oenothera, X. fruticosa, L. Willoughby lake, C. C. F. August. Order MELASTOMACEiE. Rhexia, X. Virginica, L. Brattleborough, C. C. F. Order SAXIFRAGACE^. Saxifraga, X. oppositifolia. Willoughby lake, A. Wood. aiz aides. Willoughby lake, " Order UMBELLIFERjE. Slum, X. linear e, Mx. Burlington, T. June and July. Order C0MP0SIT..5;. Diplopappus, Cass. linarifolius. Hook. Brattleborough, C. C. F. September. Serioocarpus, JVees. solidagineus, Neeg. Braftleborough, " July. A JJ+pYl f radula. Ait. Brattleborough, " July. elodes, T. & G. Brattleborough, " July. cyaneus, (var.) Brattlebbrough, " Jnly. amethystinus, Nutt. Brattleborough, " August. sagittif alius, Ell. Brattleborough, " September. 5 38 APPENDIX TO THOMPSON'S VERMONT. botany op VERMONT. CATALOGUE OT PLANTS. ,x. rigida, L. Burlington, T. August and September. stricta. Ait. Burlington, T. August and September. serotina, AVilld, Burlington, T. August and September. patula, Muhl. Burlington, T. August and September. thyrsoides, Meyer. Willoughby lake, A. W. Mansfield mountain, W. Mahlenbergii, T. & G Brattleborough, C. C. F. August. corymbosiis. Willoughby lake, C. C. F. August. Artemisia, ^L. Canadensis, Michx. Willoughby lake, A. W. Rudbeokia, X, hirta, L, Brattleborough, C. C. F. July. Helianthus, X. frondosus, (var.) Brattleborough, C. C. F. July. trachelifolius, Willd. Brattleborough, C. C. F. August. Hieracium, X. Gronovii, Tourn. Colchester, T. Brattleborough, C. C. F. July. scabrum, Miohx. Brattleborough, C. C, F. August. Cirsium, Tourn. horridulum, Michx. Brattleborough, C. C. F. July. Cichoriuni, Tourn. Intybus, L. Burlington, in the lanes, Mrs. A. P. Judd. August. Order LOBELIACE.^!. Lobelia, X. Dortmanna, L. Willoughby lake, A. W. July. Order ERICACE.^. Andromeda, X. ligustrina, Muhl. Brattleborough, C. C. F. June. Order AQUIFORDELELLlCEiE. Prinos, X. laevigata, L. Mouth of the Winooski, Burlington, T, June. ^ Order ASCLEPUDACK.E. Asclepias, X. purpurascens, L. Brattleborough, C. C, F. June. variegata, L. Brattleborough, " July. verlicilluta, L. Brattleborough, " July. Order BORAGINACEjE. Myosotis, X. siricPi , Link. Brattleborough, C. C J^. June. Symphytum, X, officinale, L. Pownal, T. Introduced. July. Order LABIATjE. Pyonanthemum, Michx. linifoliuin, Pursh, Brattleborough, C. C. F. July. aristatum, Michx. Brattleborough, " August. Trichostema, X. dichotoma, L. Brattleborough, " August. Order SCROPHULARIACE^E Verbascura, X. blattaria, L. Burlington, T. Brattleborough, C. C. F. July. Ilysanthus, Rafinesque. grutioioides, Benth. Brattleborough, C. C. F. July. Pentsteraon, LHer. laevigatum, Soland. Burlington, Red Rocks, T. August. Order LENTIBULACE.^. Utricularia, X. inflata, Walt. Brattleborough, C. C. F. August. Order PRIiMULACKiE. Primula, X. Mistassinica, Miohx. Willoughby lake, A. Wood. NATURAL HISTORY. 30 botany op vermont. catalogue op plantf. Order PLANTAGINC^. Plantago, X. lanceolata, L. Burlington, T. July. Virginica, L. Brattleborough, C. C.F. July. Order POLYGONACEiE. Polygonum, X. erectum, L. Burlington, T. Brattleborough, C. C F. July. punctatum, EU. Brattleborough, C. C. F. July. Rumex, X, sanguineus, L. Brattleborough, C. C. jP. July. aquaticus, L. Brattleborough, " July. Sub-Order MYRICE.S1. Myrica, X. gaZc, L. Wells, border of the pond, T. July. CEASS H. GYOTIVOSPERMS. Order CONIFEB.E. Cupressus, Tourn. thyoides, L. Willoughby lake, C. C. F. May. Juniperus, X. Sabinus, L. West Rutland, Mrs. J. C. CEASS III. ENDOGEWS OR BIONOCOTYEEBONS. Order AMARYLLIDACE^. Hypoxis, X. , „ ^ r, -r erecta,h. Brattleborough, C. C. f'. June. Order ALISMACEiE. ^^^"^l^nHfolia, (var.) Burlington, T. Brattleborough, C. C. F. July. natans ? Brattleborough, C. C. F. July. Order XYRIDACE^. ^^Caroliniana, Walt. Brattleborough, C. C. F. August. Order RESTIACEiE. Eriocaulon, X. , , ., ^rr decangulare, Michx. Willoughby lake, A. W. Order PODOSTEmAcE^, Podostemon, Mi'-hx. . n r< -c ^..^^ ceratophyllum, Michx. Brattleborough, C. C. F. July. Order FLUVIALES. ^°*^rfeto°ks>olff. Willoughby lake, .^. TT. July. oblongus. Brattleborough, C. C. F. July. pulcher. Brattleborough, C. C. F. J^J- hybridus, Michx. Brattleborough, C.C. F. July. spiralis. Brattleborough, C. C. F. July. Order CYPERACE^. Rhyncospora, Vahl. r.. . ^ alba, Vahl. Burlington, T. August. 40 APPENDIX TO THOMPSON'S VERMONT. BOTANY OF TERMONT. CATALOGUE OP PLANTS. GEOLOGY OP VERMONT. Carex, Micheli. lanuginosa, Michx. Burlington, T. July and August. folliculata, L. Burlington, T. July and August. angustata, (Boot.) Burlington, T. July and August. filiformis, Linn. Burlington, T. July and August. striata, Miohx. Burlmgton, T. July and August. dioica, L. Burlihgton, T. July and August, scirpoidea, Schk. Willoughby lake. July and August. Order GBAMINEiE. Koeleria, Pers. Pennsylvanica, D. C. Burlington, T. July. Oryzopsis, Michx. melanocarpa, Muhh Willoughby lake. Aira, X. atropurpurea, Wahl. Mansfield mountam, T. August. Lolium, X. perenne, L. Willoughby lake, C. C. F. Muhlenbergia, Schreb. sylvatica, T. & G. WiUoughby lake, C. C. F. CEASS IV. ACROGENS. Order FILICES. Isoetes, X. lacustris, L. Brattleboro, C. C. F. Woodsia, R. Brown. glabella. WiUoughby lake. GEOLOGY OF VERMONT. Geological Survey. In my Preface to the Natural, Civil and Statistical History of Vermont, it was stated that Chapter VIH, Part I. , remained to be written, after a Geological Survey of the state should be effected. Little did I then think that ten years would be suffered to pass away, and so desirable a work remain unperformed. But such is the fact ; and I am, therefore, yet under no obligation to redeem my pledge, to write that chapter. But since, within those ten years, a Geo logical Survey of the state was begun, and since, through that beginning, and other means, important geological facts have been brought to light, I shall here give a brief history of the labors, which have been per formed, and a brief sketch ofthe knowledge of our geology which has been acquired. The first state Geological Survey, prose cuted under legislative authority, was, I think, authorized by North Carolina, in 1823. In 1824, the legislature of South Carolina authorized a geological survey ; and in 1880 provision was made for a geo logical survey of Massachusetts, under tho authority of that state. The execution of the survey of Massachusetts was committed to Professor, (now President), Hitchcock, of Amherst CoUege, and was prosecuted with so much abUity and success, that most of the other states foUowed the exam ple, and authorized surveys. In the execution of these surveys, and in the publication of the results, the state of New York has, by far, outdone any of the other states. The plan of the New York survey embraced, not only the Geology and Mineralogy of tlie state, but also the Botany and Zoology ; and ample provision was made for carrying out that plan. The corps of surveyors erabraced four distin guished geologists, one mineralogist, one palaeontologist, one botanist and one zoolo gist, with Uieir respective assistants. Ar rangements were made for commencing the work in 1836, and, after five yeara of in cessant labor, iu 1842, several volumes of the Final Reports were in i-eadiness for pub Ucation, which, with other volumes after wards prepai-ed, have since been published. These reports are published in large quarto form, on excellent paper, and ftdly illus- NATURAL HISTORY. 41 GEOLOGY OP VERMONT. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. trated vrith excellent engravings. Eighteen volumes have been published, five of which are devoted to zoology, four to geology, four to agriculture, one to mineralogy, two to organic remains, and two to botany. The subject of a Geological Survey of Vermont was first brought before the legis lature of the state in 1886*. In 1837 the subject was referred to the committee on education, in behalf of which. Professor Eaton submitted to the Senate a very able B«port, accompanied by several important documents. The report closed by recom mending the passage of a resolution, order ing the report and documents to be printed and circulated among the people of the state, and by expressing the belief that, upon due consideration, the popular voice would be in favof of providing for the sur vey at die next session of the legislature. In 1838, the subject was again taken up, discussed and dismissed, without any pro vision being made for commencing the survey ; and nearly the same process, with the same result, was repeated at each suc ceeding session of the legislature down to the year 1844, when a bill, authorizing a Geological Survey of the state, was finally passed, in the Senate, by 20 yeas to 7 nays, and in the House, by 96 yeas to 92 nays, and received the Governor's approval. This act authorized and directed the Governor to appoint a competent State . Geologist, who should have power, with the Governor's approbation, to appoint the necessary assistants, fix the amount of then- compensation, and direct their labors. It made it " the duty of the State Geologist, -as soon as practicable, to commence and prosecute a geological and mineralogical survey of the state, embracing therein a full and scientific examination and descrip tion of its rocks, soUs, metals and raine rals," and report to the Governor, annu aUy, on the 1st day of October, the progress of the work. For the purpose of carrying the provisions of this act into effect, the sum of $2,000 annually, for the term of three years, was appropriated. His Excellency, William Slade, Esq., being Governor, upon him devolved the appointment of the State Geologist, and the arrangements, ou the part of the state, for carrying the conteraplated survey into effect. After some time Spent in delibera tion and inquiry, he finally commissioned Charles B. Adaras, at that tirae Professor of Chemistry and Natural History in Mid dlebury College, the State Geologist, who was to enter upon liis duties on the 1st day of March, 1845t. * See Part n., page 104. t Since the above was written, I have received the painful intelligence of the death of my esteemed In arranging the detaUs ofthe survey, it was provided tbat, so far as should be found practicable, eight suites of specimens of aU the rooks and minerals should be collected, trimmed and ticketed. These specimens, when the material admitted, were to be three inches square, and from one to two inches thick. The destination of these suites of specimens were as follows : — one, (and the best, where there was a choice,) for a state collection at MontpeUer; one for the University of Vermont; one for Middle bury College; one for Norwich University; one for each of the Medical CoUeges, at Castleton and Woodstock ; one for the Troy Conference Academy, at Poultney, and one to be the property of the State Geologist. With the approbation of the Govemor, the State Geologist appointed the Rev. S. R. Hall and Z. Thompson, general assis tants in the field labor, and Dr. S. P. La^ throp, assistant in the depot of specimens, and in occasional field services. The field labors were commenced as soon as the advancement of the season would permit, which was early in May, and were prose cuted during the summer with unremitted dUigence. The labors of the general assist ants were confined to the northern half of the state ; and, during their four months' services, they together, or separately, visit ed and explored, more or less thoroughly, about 110 townships. The State Geologist, with Dr. Lathrop and other occasional assistants, labored, for the most part, in the southern half of the state. During the season, about 6,000 specimens were collect ed and forwarded to the depot, in Middle bury. These were mostly trimmed , ticketed and catalogued, in the course of the follow ing winter. During the years 1846 and 1847, ^e business of the Survey was diUgently prose cuted by the State Geologist, and the assist ants were employed, for several months in each sumraer, in field labors. At each session of the legislature reports were raade to the Governor, of the progress of the work ; and these annual reports were pub lished and circulated among the people. triend, Prof. Charles B. Adams. He died of fever, on the 19th of January, 1853, on the island of St. Thomas, W. I., whither he had gone for the double object of improving his health and furthering himself in his favorite pm-suits of Natural History. In the death of Prof. Adams, the scientific world has lost a most indefatigable and successful laborer. During the last ten years, few individuals have done more than he did, for the advancement of the natural sci ences. By his contributions to Conchology, and his minute investigation of the geographical distribution of moUusks, ho has erected to himself an honorable monument ; and, although removed by a mysterious Providence, in the prime of life, and in the midst of his usefulness, his name will long be cherished by his personal friends, and will be handed down to future generations, deeply engraved upon the records of science. 42 APPENDIX TO THOMPSON'S VERMONT. GEOLOGY OP VERMONT. CHAMPLAIN ROCKS. .. POTSDAM SANDSTONE. But they were by no means intended to exhibit the entire results of each years' la bors, but merely to indicate the advance ment of the survey, and to furnish such general information as would enable the people of the state rightly to understand, and duly to appreciate those results, when they should be collected and systematised in a Final Report. Before the close of the third year, for which provision had been made by the act of the legislature authorizing the survey, the State Geologist was appointed a Profes sor in the College at Araherst, Mass. Be lieving that the remaining field labors, for the completion of the survey, would be finished during the next season, and that he should derive rauch aid in the prepara tion of the Final Report, from the collections and library at Amherst, he deeraed it his duty to accept the professorship offered him ; but he did it, with the expectation that he would not be required to enter fully upon the duties of the professorship, until he had completed the survey and prepared his Final Report, and that our legislature would make the appropriations necessary for those purposes. At this time, only a part ofthe specimens, collected from the various sections of the state, had been trimmed, ticketed and sent to the institutions for which they were de signed. The remainder, embracing those which had been ticketed for the state cabi net, were in the depot at Middlebury. Anticipating legislative provision at the next session, for the completion of the work as above mentioned, the State Geologist directed his assistant, at Burlington, to obtain, at that place, a suitable room, or rooms, to serve as a depot for the tools, fixtures and untrimmed specimens ; which being done, the articles, amounting to several tons, were forwarded from Middle bury and placed in it. Tn doing this, he reserved the principal fossils and the speci mens ticketed for the state cabinet, which he, soon afterwards, took with him to Amherst, that they might be at hand, for exaraination and reference, while preparing his final Report. At the session of the legislature, in Oct. 1847, the subject of the survey was taken up, but no appropriation was made, either for its continuance, or for the preparation of a Final Report. In 1848 the subject was again taken up, but with no better success, and all that was done in relation to it, was the passage of a resolution, directing the Governor to employ eome person to get back into the state, the materials and manuscripts, belonging to the Survey, and place them in the charge of the State Librarian , at Montpelier. That | duty the author of this work had the honor of discharging, m the .sumraer of 1849, and his report to the Governor, was published in the Appendix of the House Journal, for that year. Since 1849, the subject of the Survey has, once or twice, been called up in the legislature, but nothing further has been done. The untrimmed and unticket- ed specimens are lying, packed in boxes, at Burlington, with a portion of the tools and fixtures ; and the remainder are in charge of the State Librarian at Montpelier, and all these are fast losing their value. The Geological Survey ofthe state, having been suspended before the examinations were completed ; and the results of the labors performed, having never been col lected together and systematically arrang ed, a full and satisfactoi;y account of our Geology cannot yet be expected ; and all that will now be atterapted, is a hasty sketch of the general geological features of the state. There are iraportant scientific questions, which an accurate knowledge of the geology of Vermont would, doubtless, very much aid in solving, but the acquisi tion of this knowledge will require much additional patient investigation and re search ; and the discussion of these ques tions, would require more space than could be afforded to the subject in this Appendix. Champlain Roceks. We shaU begin our sketch of Vermont Geology at the western border of the state, and, proceeding eastwardly, give some general account of the different rock-forma tions in their order. The rocks which occupy the lowest pai-ts of the valley of Lake Charaplain belong to that division of thePalosozoic rocks, denomi nated, by the New York geologists, the Champlain Group. Beginning with the oldest and most westerly, these rocks are arranged in the following order : 1. Potsdam Sandstone. 2. Calciferous Sandstone. 3. Chazy, or Isle la Motte Limestone*. 4. Trenton Limestone. 5. Utica Slate and Hudson River Shales. The Potsdam Sandstone is largely de veloped at several places on the west, or New York, side of Lake Champlain, but is no where found in silii, within the limits of Vermont. The remarkable Chasm, through which the river Ausable passes, near- Port Kent, is in this rock. Calciferous Sandrock.-1h\s, the second member of the Champlain group, appears on the Vermont side of the lake, but very sparingly. It is seen at the base of the This division embraces the Chazy and Fii-d's eye limestone, and Isle la Motte marble ot the Kew York Geologist. NATURAL HISTORY. 43 isle la MOTTE LlJlESTONE. TRENTON LIMESTONE. uplift of Snake mountain, in Addison coun ty, and in a few other places. Chazy, or Isle la .^otle Limestone. — This is the most important member of the Cham plain group, and the oldest, which is in much force in Vermont. This rook forms the principal part of the Isle la Motte, the western part of Grand Isle and the eastern shore ofthe lake, from Charlotte southward. It usuaUy lies in thick, even-bedded strata, dipping, for the most part, sUghtly towards the east or northeast. It is of a, close, compact texture, easily broken into regular blocks, and eitsily sawed, or hammered, and yet sufficiently strong to serve as the very best of building stone. It constitutes, in many places, the shore of the lake, and is in a position highly favorable for quarry ing, and for transportation by water. Quarries of this limestone have been opened in various places, and it is extensively used for building and other purposes. Some of the best of these quarries are on the Isle la Motte; and among these, Fisk^s quarry, on the west side of that island, is probably the most interesting and valuable. This quarry rises directly ou the lake shore, aud lies but a few rods from the usual Une of steamboat navigation through the lake; and the shore is here so bold that the largest vessels on the lake may safely ap proach it within a few feet, and a very good landing is constructed. The quarry presents a working breast, rising about 35 feet above the lake. The strata vary somewhat in their aspect, but they are, in general, of a bluish gray color. The thickness of the strata, varies from eight Maclurea magna. This cut repre sents the Maclurea magna, as it ap pears on the worn surfaces of the rocks, on the Isle la Motte, and at most places where the rock is found. The Maclureas are spiral shells, re sembling in form our little fresh water shell called the Planorbis, but they grow to a very large size. When in the surface of the rock, and about half worn away, they frequently present a spiral coil, eight or ten inches in diameter, sometimes having so mucU resemblance to serpents coiled up, that the early settlers in the valley of Lake Champlain, regarded them as petrified snakes. Orthoceras. This cut represents the general form of the Orthocerata, as they appear in the weathered surfaces of the Isle la Motte limestones. The number of species found in this formation is very great, and the number and magnitude of the individuals, accumulated at some localities, is remark ably so. At some places on the Isle la .Uotte the rocks, for rods in extent, and several feet in thickness, seem to be made up almost wholly of Orthoceras, closely packed together in a liraestone cement. . , i r, ¦ «1'".^' ,!rV!,'^,.'v,"=7,.n'*™|50™e of these are 18 or 20 inches loneand inches to five or SIX feet, and eacli stratura k, o • u ¦ j- . . ,. , ° t mones lo »^ »>="'. ° "'^ ' . , „„;fnrm 6 or 8 inches in diameter at the larger end. preserves its thickness with great uniform- ^^^ ;„t^Hnr nf th»»« =t,oUc ;= „=,„„ii„ KU^ ity. The general dip of the strata is about 4° towards the north east. Other excellent quarries havebeen open ed on this island, of which HiU's quarry, and the Black Marble quarry, on the east side, are the raost important. The Isle la Motte limestone, obtained at these quarries, and at others along the shore of the lake, is alre.ady extensively used in the construc tion of buildings and rail road bridges, and considerable quantities are sawed for hearths, or for being polished as raarble. The black marble takes a very fine polish, and some of it is exceedingly beautiful. The surfaces of the natural seams and fractures ofthe strata of this marble, aregfrequently covered with a black, often iridescent, gla zing, resembling the surface of anthracite, and it is probably carbonaceous. The Isle la Motte limestone abounds in fossils, among which, species of Maclurea, orthoceras and corals are conspicuous, being seen in the worn and weathered surface ofthe rocks, in great numbers. The interior of these shells is usually filled with calcareous spar, but they are some tiraes found empty. Several species of coral are found in this limestone. Some of these have a structure reserablingthat of hon ey comb, and hence Columnaria alveolata. they have been suppo sed, by persons ignorant of geology, to be honey-comb petrified. Like the coral reefs, which are now in the process of formation in many p.arts of the ocean, they are the work of rainute insects called zoophytes. The Trenton Limestone. — ^This lies next in the ascending series. It occupies only a small extent of territory in Vermont, but is every where recognized by its character istic fossils. From near the south end of the lake it extends northward as far as 44 APPENDIX TO THOMPSON'S VERMONT. UTICA SLATE AND HUDSON RIVER SHALE. RED SANDROOK. LONE ROCK POINT. Charlotte, showing itself in the uplifts, at various places. It appears again in South Hero, and extends northward, through the western part of Grand Isle, aud constitutes the south eastern and highest parts of the Isle la Motte. It also caps some of the elevations near the Medicinal Spring, in Highgate. This rook is sufficiently compact and firm, in some places, to serve as a building stone, but it is, for the most part, thin bedded and shaly, and of very little value,, except ing that it forms the basis of a good soil. The species of fossils iu the Trenton Lime stone are exceedingly numerous. In the single genua, orthis, they amount to no less than seventeen, which are peculiar to this rock ; and in many other genera the species are nearly as numerous. In Grand Isle, this limestone is rather thick bedded, is of a light gray color, and almost entirely made up of shells of the orthis. This stone, when the edge of the stratified mass was exposed to the heat, was found, unlike most limestone, to withstand the action of the fire, and, on that account, it was much used by the early settlers, for the construc tion of fire-places, on which account it is still distinguished by the name of ^sre stone. these shales are totally useless as a building stone. Ihey, however, disintegrate into a black, rich soil, and are a valuable material for making roads. This figure exhibits the gen eral form ofan Orthis. Utica Slate and Hudson River Shales. — Still higher, and to the eastward of the Trenton Limestone, Ue a series of black slates. Some of these slates are rather thick bedded, are quite calcareous, and break with conchoidal fracture, and, lying immediately above the Trenton Limestone, are in some cases, with difficulty, distin guished from it. In other parts, the slaty laminse are quite regular, and readily sep arated. But far the greater part of it appears to be crushed and broken into wedge-shaped masses, interspersed with seams of calcareous spar. In many places, these wedge-shaped shaly masses are cov ered with glazing, giving, them the lustre and appearance of anthracite. So strong is this resemblance to coal, that many have supposed that there must be coal beneath it, and considerable excavations have been made in it with the vaiu hope of finding it. These shales are the only rook in the place, in Alburgh ; they form nearly the whole of North Hero, the eastern half of Grand Isle, Rock Dunder, Juniper Island, and most ofthe other small islands; and it forms the bank of the lake, along the cast side, throughout almost its entire length. With the exception of that portion of them which lies next to the Trenton Limestone, «jntl\IY»7v>_ '¦''''¦¦'liMswi'''' Trilobites are occasion ally met with, particular ly in the older portion, whiclf has been sometimes separated from the pther shales, under the name of Utica Slate, as well as in the Isle la Motte Limestone, before descri bed. Triholite. . Graptolites are common in some Graptolites. few places, but as a whole, these shales are quite barren of fossUs. The above cut will furnish some idea of the general appearance of grapto lites. It pretty nearly represents Grapto lites amplexicaule, found in the I'renton Limestone. Red Sandrock. — The next series of rocks, lying above and to the eastward of shales, has been generally known in the neighbor hood, as the Red Sandrock formation. This rock extends from south to north nearly the whole length of Lake Champlain. It makes its appearance in uplifts, presenting mural precipices towards the west, with a dip from 5° to 30° towards the east. Its western limit is marked by a series of con siderable hills, which are at some Uttle distance from the lake shore at the south and in the northern part of Franklin coun ty ; but from Shelburne to St. Albans Bay, it lies, for the most part, along the shore of the lake. Sugar Loaf and Glebe HiU, in Charlotte, Red Rocks and Lonerock points, in Burlington, and Mallet's Head, in Col chester, belong to the same Une of uplifts. The accompanying cut represents a section passing through the uplift at Lonerock Point, where the thick bedded sandrock is seen resting on black glossy shales. The shale, here, has been washed out from under the sandrock, large masses of Which have broken off by their weight and fallen into the lake. These, excepting oue, are covered, when the lake is high, but that one is seen at all times, and from all points pf view, to stand prominently out of tho water ; hence the name, Lone-rock NATURAL HISTOKY. 45 CHAMPLAIN GROUP OP EOCKS. EED SANDROCK. THE OVEN. Point. We are aware that it has been gen erally called Sharpshins, but we think that it is quite time that vulgar name was dis carded. Towards the northern part of this uplift there commences a bed of dove-colored limestone, between the shale and the sand rock, which appears with increasing thick ness at Mallet's Head and St. Albans Bay; and at Swanton is quarried- for marble. From Swanton it continues northward into Canada. One of these uplifts, that of Snake Moun tain, affords a fine exhibition of all the members ofthe Champlain Group of rocks, which we have been describing, as may be seen by the section below, which is copied from Prof. Adams' Second Annual Report on the Geology of Vermont, p. 163. a. Red Sandrock, forming the summit ofthe mountain, with an easterly dip of 20°. 6. Debris from the Red Sandrock. c. Hudson River Shales, considerably cov ered with drift aud debris. d. Utica Slate. e. Trenton Limestone. /. Isle la Motte Limestone. g. Calciferous Sandstone, h. Clay. The rocks, which constitute the Red Sandrock series, differ very much in color, and in composition, or lithological charac ter. The lower strata are, in many places, considerably calcareous, and thick-bedded, with the planes of stratification so much obliterated, as to give them the appearance of an igneous, or unstratified rock. The color of this portion is often gray, or varie gated with different shades of brownish red and yellowish white ; and parts of it are sufficiently calcareous to admit of being poUshed, and make a very compact and beautiful variegated marble. The best specimens ot this have been found in boul ders in connexion with the drift. The middle portion of this series is almost entirely siUceous, and, through a great part of its extent from south to north, is of a dark reddish brown color ; and it is the color of this portion which has given the name of Red Sandrock to the series. But in some places, this middle portion is nearly destitute of coloring matter, appearing as a light gray stratified quartz rock. In some places it is so purely siliceous as to be suit able for the manufacture of glass. Cases also occur, where a stratum of pure white quartz intervenes between strata which are highly colored. There is an example of this in WiUard's quarry, in Burlington, The colored strata of this sandrock fur nish a very durable and beautiful stone for foundations and underpinnings of build ings, _and, though somewhat refractory and difficult to work, has been very much used for that purpose. The foundations ofthe greater part of the buildings in Burlington, are of this material. From the raiddle portion of the Red Sandrock series, the strata become more and raore calcareous, in proceeding upward and eastward, till they, at length, become in many places a very pure limestone. This limestone is, generally, of a bluish color; but in some places, particularly iu the east ern part of Shelburne, its color is pure white. Portions of this limestone make the very best of quicklime, which is largely manufactured from it, not only for use in tho neighborhood, but for transportation into the interior of the state, and to plao'es where no good liraestone exists*. At Pen- niman's quarry and kilns, which are by the side of the railroad above Winooski Falls, Messrs. Penniman & Catlin manu factured, in 1852, about 67,000 bushels of quicklime, and others, in the neighborhood, manufactured about 40,000 bushels, ma^ king over 100,000 bushels, the principal part of which was sent by railroad into the central and eastern parts of the state, and to other parts of New England. Some portions of the Red Sandrock series are very regularly and handsomely stratifi ed, but other portions are much disturbed and broken, or bent and folded. One of the raost interesting plications in this rock, which have been noticed, is in Monkton. The south end of this plication is repre sented in the figure below. The white spaces between the curv ed lines represent the edges of the strata. These are all of the ordinary sandstone. The '^ Oven. '^ broad dark stra tum, c c, is argillaceous slate, having the laminae nearly perpendicular to the plane of deposit. The upper portion of this, which is left wholly dark, has been remov ed, forraing the cavity called the Oven. * The good qualities of the quicklime manufactured from this stone is not only attested by those, who have used it in this country, but has been fully ac knowledged, by competent judges, abroad. In 1851, tr. H. Penuiman, Esq., sent out a cask ofhis lime for exiiibition at the World's Fau:, in London. This lime was examined, by a Jury, appointed for that purpose, under the roy&.l commission, and this jury awarded him a Prize Medal and Certificate, as tes- tunonials of its superior excellence, placing it in the first rank in competition with the world. 46 APPENDIX TO THOMPSON'S VERMONT. TACONIC ROCKS. EOOFING SLATE. STOCKBRIDGE LIMESTONE. The portion represented in the cut^is about 30 feet broad 3^ the base. The general strike of the Red Sandrock formation is about N. 20 E., and the dip varies frora 4° to 25° or more. Its width, from east to west, is very variable, but will average, perhaps, five miles. This rock is very barren in fossils, and those found are very obscure, consisting of fucoidal layers, and fragments of crinoidea and trilobites. Marks of rain-drops, and wave and ripple marks are very common, and well defined. The fragments of trilo bites have been found most abundant in this rook in Highgate, but they are there so much decayed, and so obscure, that it is very difficult to determine the species. Taconic Rocks. Under this name have been embraced the rocks in the southern half of the state. which lie to the eastward of the Champlain group, and to the westward of the main ridge of the Green Mountains. They occu py a large part of the counties of Benning ton, Rutland and Addison. They derive their name from a range of high lands, which extend from the western part of Massachusetts into Vermont, and which are called the Taconic Mountains. The true geological position and character of these rocks is not yet well settled. While some regard them as primary, and others as metaraorphic Silurian rocks. Prof Em mons, and some others, have maintained that they are a distinct group of palaBozoic rocks, which are older than the Potsdam Sandstone, which is the oldest member of the Charaplain group. The Taconic group of rocks consists of Roofing Slates, Sparry Limestone, Magne sian Slates, Stockbridge Limestone and Granular Quartz. Roofing Slate. — The roofing slate of this formation is found principally in the west ern part of Rutland county, particularly iu the towns of Castleton, Poultney and Fairhaveu. Some sixteen or eighteen slate quarries have already been opened in these towns, many of which yield slate of a very superior quality. There are two principal varieties of the slate, one of which is of greenish color, and the other reddish brown. Several of the quarries have been opened very recently, and have not yet yielded a large amount. The yield of all the quarries above mentioned, in 1852, was estimated to exceed 10,000 squares, and the annual yield will doubtless go on increasing, from year to year, indefinitely. It already finds its way, not only to Boston and New York, but to Buffalo, Cleveland, and other cities at the west. j Sparry Limestone.— This rock stretches j through the western parts of the counties ' of Addison and Rutland. It is divided and checked by numerous beds of calcarious spar. Its color is bluish, or gray of differ ent shades. Magnesian Slates.- — These slates lie to the eastward of the roofing slates and sparry limestone, and to the westward of the Stockbridge limestone. They sometimes alternate with the latter, as the two former do with each other. They are most fully developed in the northwestern part of Ben nington county, and southwestern part of Rutland county. The magnesian slates are usually of a light grayish color, and often of a greenish hue. They, in raany places, are easUy split into broad flat masses, the surfaces of which often have a pearly lustre, and an oily feel. But for the most part, these slates are largely filled and checked with veins and seams of white quartz. Stockbridge Limestone. — ^In an econorai cal view, the Taconic group probably fur nishes the two most valuable rocks in the state, excepting only the Isle la "Motte Linle- stone ; and these two are, the roofing slate, already mentioned, and the Stockbridge Liraestone. Coraraencing at the south line of the state, in Pownal, the Stockbridge Limestone forms a belt, which extends northward through the counties of Bennington, Rut land and Addison, as far as the town of Monkton. This belt is, on an average, nearly five miles wide, having the Magne sian slate on the west, and a, range of Granular Quartz on the east. To the north ward of Bennington county this rock occu pies, for the most part, the valley of Otter Creek. This range of limestone furnishes, through alraost its entire extent, an abundance of excellent marble. Its color is generally light, varying from dove color to the purest Vfhite, Some portions of it are of a light flesh-color, and others r.re beautifully vari egated ; and at several places a very good statuary marble is found. Stephenson's statue of the wounded Indian, which was exhibited at the World's Fair, in London, was made from Vermont marble, obtained, I think, from a quarry in Rutland. Marble quarries, at various places in the Stockbridge Limestone, have been more or less worked for many years. The principal of the^e are in the towns of Dorset, Rutland, Pittsford, Brandon and Middlebury. The great expense of transportation, for a long time prevented these quarries from being extensively worked, but the construction of railroads, along the whole line of this for mation in Vermont, has opened easy out- NATURAL HISTORY. 47 GRANULAR QUARTZ. TALCOSE SLATE. lets for the marble, and already largely increased the marble business. We have not room in this Appendix to go into par ticulars with regard to the yield of the various quarries. There is no doubt but that the marble business is destined to be one of the most important resources of the state. Granular Quartz. — This forms a nar row range, or belt, extending from the south line of the state to the northern part of Addison county, between the Stockbridge limestone on the west, and the rocks of the Green Mountains on the east. This range is quite irregular, and in some places not easily traced. It is mostly of a dark gray, or brownish, color, and is very barren in minerals, containing only occasionally crystals of sulphuret of iron and schorl. The Taconic rocks, generally, contain few interesting minerals ; and the fossils which have been found in them are very few and obscure. These rocks have, for the most part, a steep eastern or south eastern dip. All the rocks, in place, in Vermont, lying to the eastward of the Charaplain and Ta conic groups, already mentioned, and occu pying raore than three-fourths of the state, have, till recently, been regarded as pri mary ; but facts are daily coming to light which render it probable that the greater part of thera belong to the palteozoic, or Silurian series, and that they have been changed, and have had their fossils nearly all obliterated by heat. We shall not enter at all into the discussion of the geological age of these rocks, but confine o.urselves to a hasty general description of thera. In a former work* I have regarded these rocks as primary, and have described them as belonging to two grand divisions, which are distinguished frora each other by veiy obvious characteristics. The first of these divisions, lying nest eastward of the rocks already described, and constituting the main central body of the Green Mountains was denominated the Telcose slate forma tion, or division, from the general preva lence of that rock, particularly in the northern portion of it. The other division, extending eastward from this to Connecti cut river, was called the Calcario-mica slate formation. The line between these formations is, for the most part, well de fined and easily traced, from south to north, through the whole length of the state. From' the south line ofthe sta);e, in Halifax, it runs in a direction nearly north through the towns of Newfane, Cavendish, Bridge- water and Bethel, to Northfield, and thence a little east of north through Montpelier, V Geography and Geology of Vei-mont, for Schools. Calais, Craftsbury and Irasburgh, to Mem phremagog lake. Tai.cgse Slate Division. This division, which consti^ites the cen tral portion ofthe Green Mountains, varies in width from about 14 miles, in the south part of the state, to 30 miles in the northern, and it embraces the loftiest mountain sum mits in the state. The rocks of this division, though, gen erally, more or less talcose, vary considera bly, in their aspect and composition. Be ginning in the northerly part of the state, with the rocks next eastward of the Red sandrock formation, we find them shaly, very quartzose, and with very little talc or mica in their composition. They have a dip of about 40° to the east, and in some places the beds, or strata, are a fine con glomerate, the rounded pebbles being, for the most part, quite minute. In sorae parts the rocks have a greenish, or chlo- ritic hue, and are so thick bedded and com pact, as to make a very good building stone. This is particularly the case in the towns of Jericho and Westford. In proceeding eastward the dip of these rocks increases rapidly, till it becomes ver tical along the western foot of the Green Mountains, forming a synclinal axes. The line of this axis passes through the towns of I3erkshire, Enosburgh, Bakersfield, Cam bridge, Underhill and Jericho. To the eastward of this line the dip continues nearly vertical for several miles, being sometimes to the west, and, at others, to the east, forming a succession of synclinal and anticlinal axis. The dip then becomes uniformly westward, and continues so . through the eastern part of the formation. Interstratified with the Talcose Slate, we frequently find well characterized clay and mica slates ; and in many places along the slopes of the Green Mountains, the talc and mica enter into the composition of the same slates in such equal proportions as to make it difficult to say which narae raore proper ly belongs to it. In Berkshire and Enos burgh there are extensive beds of well characterized clay slate, portions of which may hereafter be found Buit.able for roofing. A little further east, in Richford, is a nar row range of plumbaginous slate, which has been traced southward as far as Hun tington, in the south eastern part of CMt- tendeu county. In Cambridge, it is found sufficiently soft and black to form a tolera ble substitute for black lead. In many places along the western slope of the Green Mountains, the rocks lie in thick beds, or strata, each stratum splitting with nearly equal facility in all directions, and approaching to gueis in appearance 48 APPENDIX TO THOMPSON'S VERMONT. GOLD PORMATION. DISCOVBHY.OF GOLD, and composition; and it has been proposed to denominate the rocks, which constitute this great axis of the Green Mountains, Green Mountain Gneis. The rocks embraced in our Talcose Slate Division, in the southern part ofthe state, are much less characteristic, than in the northern, and the different varieties of rock are much more broken and jumbled. No true granite or gneis have been observed in this formation, in the northern half, but both these rocks show themselves in the southern half, in various places. With the exception of a few small patches at the south, and three or four thin beds of sac- charoid liraestone, at the north, there are no rocks which contain auy sensible araount of lime, in the whole territory erabraced in what we have called the talcose division, and which constitutes about one-third of the whole surface of the state. Quartz is the great mineral element of this formation, for, besides forming the principal pai-t of the various slates, shales, &c,, it is almost every where infused and spread through them in great abundance, in the form of seams and veins. The color of these seams and veins is usually yellowish, white, or hyaline. Gold Formation. — It has been known for a great nuraber of years, that we have, in Vermont, a formation agreeing, iu alraost all respects, with the gold forraation in the southern states, and in many other parts of the world ; and it is a well known fact, that native gold was found here more than twenty-five years ago. The stateraent, which we published in a note on page 127, Part III., respecting a lurap of gold picked up in Newfane, and weighing S.J ounces, was extensively circulated in the newspa pers soon after it was found. Our state ment was derived from Gen. Martin Field, who had the lump in his possession. It was a fact well known to us, when our History and Gazetteer were published, that gold had been found in small quantities in the township of Somerset, by washing the alluvial gravel ; but believing then, as we do now, that the success of Verraonters, in digging for gold, will be best secured by observing the Quaker's directions, never to dig for it more than plough deep, we took no pains to give prominence to these facts. What we here call the Gold Formation constitutes a part of what we have been describing under the name of the Talcose Division. It forras a narrow and irregular belt, extending along near the eastern margin of the great division, above men tioned, and reaching through the entire length of the state. Beginning at the line of Massachusetts, in AVhitingham, it ex of Windham county, through Ludlow, Bridgewater and Rochester, in Windsor county ; through Roxbury, Moretown and Waterbury, in Washington county, and thence tlrrough Morristown, Eden, Lowell and Troy, to the north line of the state. The rocks, which mark the line of this for mation, are talcose slate, steatite and ser pentine, accompanied by magnetic, specu lar, chromic and titaniferous iron, also sulphuret and hydrous peroxide of iron. At some places, beautiful specimens of rock crystal occur, many of which are traversed in various directions by hair-like crystals of rutile, rendering them exceedingly in teresting to mineralogists. The fine speci mens of this kind which have been found in the drift in the vaUey of the Connecticut, probably had their origin in this formation. Although, long siijce, aware of the fact that the formation, in which gold was found in Windham county, extended through the whole length of the state, we had no knowl edge that gold existed in Vermont to the northward of that county, previous to the fall of 1852, when gold was discovered in Bridgewater, Windsor county, by a Mr. Kennedy, and the discovery made known to the public by Prof. 0. P. Hubbard, of Dartmouth College. The gold is found there in searas of quartz, and also, in aUu- vial gravel. Sufficient time and opportunity for examination have not yet been had, since the discovery was made, to determine its value. Some specimens of the gold, which we have seen in the quartz, though smaU, were exceedingly fine and beautiful. In the neighborhood ofthe gold in Bridge- water, very fine specimens of galena, or sulphuret of lead, are also found, but we are not informed with regard to its extent: but as Bridgewater is our native town, we hope ere long to have occular view of the revelations, which are being made there. Although the formation, (in which gold is found) may be traced through the entire length of the state, it is not to be expected that gold will be found through its whole extent ; nor is it, at present, at^all certain that the placers, where gold has already been found, will yield gold enough to pay for working. This sarae gold formation, which passes through Vermont, has been traced from the north line of the state at Troy, nearly 200 miles into Canada. It passes aloug a little to the westward of Memphremagog lake to Orford, near Sher brooke, and thence takes a more north easterly course to the neighborhood of Que bec. Gold was found, in this formation, along the river Chaudiere, as early as 1834, and the discovery was announced in Silliman's Journal in April, 1835. From tends northward, through the western part ) that time gold was collected there, in sniaU NATURAL HISTORY. 49 C.VLCARIO-MIOA SLATE. CLAY SLATE. LIMESTONE. quantities, up to the time of the discovery I from Barnard northerly to lake Memphre- of gold in California ; amounting in the magog, is mostly clay slate. This slate whole to 0 nly a few hundred dollars. Since the geological survey of Canada has been iu progress, more attention has been given to the subject, and it is found that the auriferous district is quite extensive. Du ring the last three or four years the search for gold has been prosecuted more exten sively, and the yield has amounted to several thousand dollars. In Ascot, near Sherbrooke, gold has been found in veins, associated with copper pyrites in a quartz gague; and it is reported that a lump of gold, weighing 14 oz., was obtained in that vicinity in the fall of 1852. The steatite, or soapstone, and the ser pentine, which we have mentioned, as in dicating the line of the gold formation, are, probably, destined to be of quite as much economical value to the state, as the gold itself. The steatite is abundant, and is, in many places, of a very good quality. It has been quarried at Grafton, Bridgewater, Bethel, Moretown, Waterville, and, per haps, a few other places. The serpentine is largely developed at Cavendish and Ludlow, at Roxbury, and at Lowell and Troy. Much of this serpentine is compact and firm, beautifully variegated with every shade of green, from the lightest tints to an almost perfect black ; and, as it admits of a high polish, and is unaffected by heat and acids, it forms a most valuable orna mental marble. It has long been used, to a limited extent, in sorae of the neighbor hoods where it is found, for fire-places, centre-tables, &c., and the opening of rail roads, through these several localities, will, probably, be the means of bringing this valuable marble extensively into use. Caloario-mica Slatb Division. Under this general narae, we embrace all the territory of Vermont, not included in the divisions already described, with the exception of a few tracts of granite. It has been called the calcario-mica slate formation, or division, frora the fact, that it consists, to a very considerable extent of impure limestone, interstratified with .argillaceous and mica- slate. These three constitute the principal rocks, but they, in raany parts, run into several other varie ties of slate. Through the central'part of Orleans county, and in Caledonia county, are extensive ranges of what might properly be called hornblende slate. In the northern part of Essex county, extending into Cana da, is a range of sUiceous slate ; and in the southern part of that county there is a considerable development of chlorite slate. The western portion of this formation, constitutes a large proportion of that beau tiful and fertile swell of land extending from Winooski to White River, througii the towns of Berlin, Williamstown, Brook field and Randolph. It is also largely de veloped in the north part of Montpelier, and in Calais, Craftsbury and Coventry, At Berlin, this slate has been found to answer very well for roofing ; and it is not improbable that good roofing slate will be obtained from some of the other localities, which we have mentioned. Clay slate also exists, in large quantities, along the Passumpsic and the west bank of the Connecticut river, in the counties of Orange and Caledonia, and also in the southeastern part of Windh.am county. At the latter place, it extends through the towns of Guilford, Brattleborough and Dummerston. The slate here is found to be very suitable for roofing, and has been, more or less, quarried for that purpose for many years. The mica slate of this division is not, in general, very well characterized as mica slate. Indeed, the slates, or shales, of this division, appear to be a combination, or jumble, of almost all the known varieties, sometimes exhibiting a predominance of one kind and sometimes of another ; and, again, we find the materials of three or four diffejrent varieties comhined in a single stratum. There are, however, some small tracts, to which the above remarks are not applicable. This is the case with some parts of Windham and Windsor counties, where mica slate is found, well character ized, and forming a valuable and beautiful material for flagging. The liraestone of this division is, every where, very impure, containing a very large proportion of siliceous sand. It is burned in several places for quicklime, but the lime is nowhere of a good quality. It is made to answer in raortar for stone work, where better is not to be had ; and it is usefully applied, in agriculture, as a fer tilizer, to soils deficient in lime. But the lime raade from the beds of shell-marl, which abound in this division, though that is not ofthe best quality, is rauch preferable to the above, both for the purposes of raasonry and agriculture. The color of this limestone, where unaf fected by the weather, is of a bluish shade, and the stone is very compact and homo- genious, splitting, or breaking, with nearly equal faoUity, in all directions. Where long exposed to the weather, it is recognized at once by its rust-colored, rotten surface. This rotten surface consists of the siliceous sand , which remains after the lime, which 50 APPENDDC TO THOMPSON'S VERMONT. TERTIARY POEMATION. WHITE CLAY. YELLOW OCHRE. lEON ORE, BROWN COAL, had cemented it together, has been dissolved and washed out. In Hardwick, Berlin, and some other places, this blue silicious limestone is regularly arranged in parallel strata, showing very distinctly planes of deposit. But it more coramonly occurs in irregular beds of unequal thickness, in the different varieties of slates. Throughout nearly the whole of what we have called the talcose division of the state, the waters are soft and very pure, but those of the calcario-mica slate division are, ou the contrary, hard, being, in general, strongly impregnated with lime. But the reason is obvious ; for, in the former case, there is uo lime, excepting, what exists in the materials ofthe drift, while in the latter, besides the lime in the drift, the blue sUi- cious liraestone ofthe formation is diffused through every part, and being, by exposure, readily disintegrated and dissolved, keeps the waters of the neighborhood constantly impregnated with lime. The principal raetalio ores found in this division, are iron and copper pyrites, or the sulphurets of iron and copper. These, and particularly the sulphuret of iron, are found, though, for the most part, .sparing ly, throughout the whole division, usually in the forra of small yellow cubes, which are not unfrequently raistaken for gold. The raost extensive deposits of pyrites are at Strafford, Corinth, Woodbury and Brigh ton. That at Straflbrd is fully described, together with an account of the manufac ture of copperas from it, in our description of_ that town in Part III,, page 167. The veius of pyrites at Corinth consist of the sulphurets of copper aud iron in nearly equal proportions. In Thetford there is a small vein of galena or sulphuret of lead. _ In the different parts of this great divi sion ofthe state, there is found a considera ble variety of interesting minerals, most of which are mentioned in Part III,, under the names of the towns in which they .are found. Tertiary Formation. It has been generally supposed, imtil within a very few years, that no geological formation existed in Vermont, of an age intermediate, between the lower Silurian and the drift, or post-tertiary. In other words, it was supposed that the corbonife- rous series, and the secondary and tertiary formations, were entirely wanting. Still it has been long known that there was a series of deposits along the western foot of the Green Mountains, the geological age of which was extremely doubtful, aud it was not till the discovery of the deposit of Brown Coal in Brandon, in 1848, that the uncer tainty wag in any degree rcmovoil. The deposits above mentioned, commeiice in the south part of the state, at Benning ton, and, extending northward, have been traced as far as Milton, in Chittenden county ; and, probably, will be traced still further north into Canada. The material in these deposits, which first brought them into notice, was the brown oxide of iron, or brown hematite. This iron ore has been known and worked at Bennington, Pitts ford, Brandon and Monkton, for a gi'eat number of years. It was also early noticed that there were beds of a beautiful white clay, along the same line, generally in the vicinity of the brown iron ore. The nature of this clay was little understood, but being found to answer a.s a substitute for whiting, it was, for a while, considerably used in making putty for setting glass. Hence these beds of clay became Icnown as putty beds. Du ring the war with Great Britain, in 1812, one of these beds in Monkton was exarained by Prof. J. Muzzy, who published an account of it, with an analysis of the clay, in the "Repositoi'y," a monthly periotU- cal, published at Middlebury. He showed it to be kaolin, or porcelain clay ; and efforts were made, about that time, to get up a manufactory of porcelain ware. Subsequently, associated, for the most part, with the .beds of brown hematite, were found, not only extensive beds of pure yellow ochre, but large quantities of the ores of manganese, both of whi,.li are arti cles of much economical value ; and at some localities in the sarae connexion, were also found beds of very pure white quartz sand. The deposits, above raentioned, along the western foot of the Green Mountains, have been, as already remarked, known for many years. But in addition to these, in sinking shafts in the iron ore-bed, iu Brandoi}, about 1848, a deposit of Lignite, or Brown Coal, was discovered, which has thrown some light upon the geological age of the deposits above described. Of all the locaUties, to wdiich we have referred, that at Brandon is the raost in teresting, not only on account of the Browni Coal, but on account of having all the othei- materials in conjunction with it. We have here, in the area of a few acres, the follow ing substances, which arc of economical value : 1. Pure white quartz sand. 2. Beautiful white and stained kaolin, or porcelain clay. 3. Yellow ochre. 4. Brown hematitic iron ore. 5. Ores of manganese. 6. Brown Coal. The two first, in the above list, make their appearance at, or very near, the surface ; NATURAL HISTORY. 5] coal and iron at rrandon. FIGURES OP FRUIT. IGNEOUS ROCKS, and the coal may also be traced to the surface. But the great bulk of the clay, iron, manganese and Coal, is buried at a considerable depth beneath the drift, which consists principally of pebbles, gravel and ochrey earth. In the area above mentioned, there have been sunk, principally for obtaining the iron ore, five shafts, to depths varying from 100 to 130 feet. From these shafts, at depths of 80 or 90 feet, drifts have been sent off in various directions, connecting the different shafts, and various galleries have also been formed by the removal of the ore. By the shafts and drifts, the iron, clay and coal have been passed through in various directions, and something has been learned respecting their relative position and extent. The locality was visited during the summer of 1852, by a number of dis tinguished geologists, araong whom were Dr. Hitchcock, President of Amherst Col lege, Sir Charles Lyell, Prof. James HaU, of Albany, and Mr. Foster, United 'States Geologist ; and the conclusion seeras to be, that the formation, embracing the hematitic iron ore, the manganese, the kaolin and the coal, are ofthe same geological age, as the brown coal of Europe, and, therefore, belong to the tertiary period. The extent of the brown coal at Brandon, is not yet ascertained. It shows itself at, or very near, the surface ofthe ground, and has been foxmd at tlie depth of 90 feet. It seems to descend somewhat obUquely, by the side of the kaolin, in a columnar form, about twenty feet wide and fourteen feet thick. The carbonaceous materials are of a dark brown color, approaching to black. Some portions of them are very completely converted into coal, whUe, in other parts, the woody structure and the form of the trees are clearly seen. Scattered in this mass of materials, for the most part near the surface, are found many varieties of seeds or fruits, which vary in size from that of a fig to that of less than a barley-corn. These fruits Tfere at first supposed to be butternuts, walnuts, chestnuts, hazelnuts, &c., such as are now indigeneous in Ver mont, but a very slight examination suffi ces to show that they are unlike any vege tation now growing iu our country. President Hitchcock, in an interesting article* on the deposit of brown coal at Brandon, has figured about twenty species of the fruits found in it, and his figures, for the most part, agree very weU with specimens of the fruit obtained by myself from the coal. To furnish some idea of these fruits, I give, in the next column, figures of a few of such of the fruits as I have in my possession. " *Smiman'3 Journal of Science, Vol. XV.,— p, 95, ^ The Brandon coal contains a considerable amount of earthy matter, but it burns readily, even when first taken from the . bed ; and is employed, almost exclusively, for fuel in driving the steam engine, by which the iron ore is raised and the water pumped from the mine. As the hematitic iron ore, kaolin, man ganese, &c., which occur at Brandon in conjunction with the coal, are found at numerous other places iu' Vermont, along the western foot of the Green Mountains, it is, also, highly probable that at some of these places, coal will likewise be found. The conclusion to which President Hitch cock has arrived, from his examination of the subject, is, that the formation of which the Brandon deposit is a type, belongs to the tertiary period, and' that it extends through the entire length of the United States, from Canada to Alabama. Igneous Rooks. The only unstratified igneous rocks in Vermont, which occupy any considerable extent of territory, are granite and serpen tine. The fields of granite are nearly a,U in cluded in the calcario-mica slate division of the state. The granite appears, every where, to have been forced up from beneath, iu a melted state, between the strata and beds of slate and limestone, sometimes in small iso lated elevations ; but for the raost part in long narrow ranges, extending north and south, in accordance with the strike of the outcrop of the strata. This is particularly obser vable in the eastern part of the counties of Orleans and Washington, and in the west ern part of Caledonia county. The most extensive tracts of granite, and the only ones, which have much width from east to west, are in Essex county, and in the southwestern part of Caledonia county, aud the adjacent parts of the counties of Washington and Orange. It was from the southwestern part of this last tract, in Barre, that the granite was ob- 52 APPENDIX TO THOMPSON'S VERMONT. GRANITE BOULDERS. ROCKING STONES. TRAP AND PORPHYRY. tained of which the State House was built. Further south, in the counties of Windsor and Windham, there are many isolated patches of granite and gneis, but with the exception of Ascutney mountain, they are of quite limited extent. In numerous places, granite is seen traversing the other rocks, in the form of dikes, veins and seams. This is particularly observable in Marshfield and Woodbury ; and this fact, and, also, the fact that fragments of clay slate are there found, embedded in the granite, make it certain that the granite has been in a melted state since the format tion of the slate. Granite boulders are scattered, more or less abundantly, over the whole of this division of the state. In the northeastern part, they are exceedingly numerous, and many of them are of very great magnitude. From a single granite boulder, in Greens borough, the material for a good sized stone house, including the waUs of the cellar, were obtained, without using it all. Another isolated boulder in that town, is 41 feet long, 22 feet high, and, in, the widest part, 25 feet wide, and is calculated to weigh more than a thousand tons. About half a mile from this large boulder, there are two smaller granite boulders, about 80 feet apart, so nicely balanced, on other granite rocks, as to be easily rocked by a push with the hand, aud hence they have acquired the name of the rocking stones. Rocking Stones. The accorapanying rude cut will serve to show their relative positions. They are both considerably elevated above the sur rounding country. The one at the right hand in the figure is 9 feet high, 12 feet long, and weighs about 70 tons. It rests upon another mass of granite about 16 feet high. The other rooking stone, at the left, is 8 feet high and 11 long, weighing about 40 tons.The granite of this division, though generally good, and, much of it, of a supe rior quaUty for building purposes, exhibits, nevertheless, seyeral varieties. Perhaps the most reraarkable of these, is that found in place in Craftsbury and Northfield, and which has, sometimes, been caUed JVodular Granite. The granite is of the ordinary character, with the exception of having flattened balls of black mica, about one inch in diameter, scattered through it, like plums in a pudding. These balls, or concretions, are composed of concentric layers of black raica, separated from each other by extremely thin layers of pure white quartz. In some portions of this granite the balls, or nodules, constitvite quite one-half of the entire mass, whUe, in other portions, they are scattered very sparingly, often several inches asunder, in all directions. The only locality, beside those just mentioned, where this granite is found in place, is just over the north line of Vermont, in Stanstead, C. E. Boul ders of it are scattered, sparingly, over a great part of the surface of the counties of Orleans and Caledonia. Tlie serpentine has been already men tioned in our account ofthe talcose division, as occurring along the Une of the gold for mation. Some of those tracts are quite extensive, • forraing hUls of considerable elevation. This is the case in Cavendish, Lowell and Troy. In the serpentine in Lowell, fine specimens of asbestus and of different varieties of amianthus, are com mon. In Troy, it contains a large irregular bed or vein of iron ore. The ore appears weU, and extensive works were erected for raanufacturing it into iron ; but the diffi culty of working it, on account of the titanic acid it contains, and the cost of transportation, rendered the business un profitable, and the works were, therefore, abandoned and have gone to decay. The following is the resulf of the analysis of this titaniferous ii-on ore, by Mr. Olmsted : Peroxide of iron, 81.20 Protoxide " 18.37 Titanic acid, 4.10 Silica, 1.33 iletaUc iron. 100.00 - 66.62 Chromic iron is also met with in niapy places in the serpentine of this neighbor hood. In Jay, tihere are veins of it two feet wide. The ore is of good quality, and inight easily be obtained to any amount. Its analysis, by Mr. Hunt, gave the foUow ing residt : Green oxide of chromium, 49.90 Protoxide of iron, - - 48.96 Alumina, with traces of silica, &c., 1.14 100.00 One hundred parts of this ore will yield 191 parts of chromate of lead, or chrome yellow. Trap and Porphyry. These are tbuud in Vermont only in the form of dikes, or intrusive beds among the other rooks. Trap dikes are met with in all parts of the state, but they are much more common in some parts than in others. NATURAL HISTORY. 53 trap dikes. PORPHYRY DIKES. IGNEOUS ROCK, In the central part of the state, iu the talcose slate form'ation, they are exceed ingly rare. They are more common in the eastern part of the state; but abound most of all in the vicinity of Lake Champlain, and, particularly, in tho neighborhood of Burlington. The strike of the various stratified rocks in Vermont is, generally, from a little west of south to a little east of north, while the trap dikes, for the most part, cut through these rocks in a direction nearly east and west. The width of these dikes varies from three or four inches to five or six faet, dikes and intrusive masses, varies from a dark chocolate brown to a light cream color. In some cases, the embedded crystals are very numerous ; in others, they are rare ; and in others still, no crystals are seen, but they appear to consist of a homogeneous mass of feldspathic mineral. No part of the state, which has been ex amined, so much abounds in dikes, both trap and feldspathic, as the northwestern part of Shelburne. Pottier's point is cross ed by a dozen, at least. At Nash's point, the two kinds of dike are seen together, in circumstances to afford a clear indication of The width of the greater part differs but ! theh- relative ages. Their positions may """ ' ' i understood by the accompanying cut. little from throe feet. They soraetimes cut thi'ough the rocks quite obliquely, both to the strike and the horizon, but are more commonly nearly perpendicular to both. In sorae cases, the same dike may be traced for several miles, in nearly a straight line, across the outcrop of the strata. In other cases they will terminate suddenly, and commence anew, at some little distance to the right or left, and then proceed onward in the same direction as before. Faults of this kind are of frequent occurrence in the numerous trap dikes, which exist in the black shales along the eastern shore of Lake Champlain. The accompanying cut represents one of these, as seen in the bank of the lake at Clay Point, in Colchester. The fault is an ofliset i?SS^^^^^^^^^^ of about three feet. The dike is in black slate. The part of the bank above it is sand. At Hubbell's FaU, in Winooski-river, two faults may be seen, inthe sam4 dike, in the bottom of the Trap Dike." "^«'-- Some of these dikes are very compact and homogenious. Some have a concre tionary structure, and, by exposure to the weather, separate into spheroidal masses. Others again exhibit signs of a columnar structure ; and stiU others contain nume rous light colored crystals, giving it an amygdaloidal character. An interesting dike of this character raay be seen in a smaU island in Lake Champlain, a little to tho northward of Colchester point. The Porphyry Dikes are mostly confined to the southwestern part of Chittenden county. Like the trap dikes, they have, in general, an easterly and westerly course, but they are much raore irregular in their direction, and much less uniform in width In some places they seem to bUge up iu large rounded masses, crowding and crush- ins; the slate aU around. The color of these 7 .0 to CO ¦D ] -p -^ f.- 1 Tl ctj ct- ct; cc " c I „-- 1^3 -.-.: 'j^ -I lO O LO Oj ^ O -t^ -—J O -ri -— lO O O -M j£_!i-H T-] -7.1 I-I uC LO O-- r-i O T- CO CO uO CO - r; ! CC i-t o r-^t- co od lo" .-¦ i-- cc; t-i co o M- j2 I'X' t— CO O i-O T— i ri 1— o* oo CO lO rr. I: CO -T-l Ci O CO O LO >:7 T >.' 1 '-0 ._>-"_ , Tl O C,i LO -t^ ct CD Ol CD ct t- ct -r 7-1 ¦i> o rt CO I- 01 ct CO ^ I-I CD CC C- 'TJ r-. I- O o rH m-t ,-( ,-. ^^^-, lO o CC cr-1 -p CD 1— CO lo .jo t— w .-j —i — ^_ T-H CQ o -r] CC O CC CJ CO CO ct Tl X "- r— ¦ii 2 GO _-. -f CO - ) CO Ol C'l .-H CC o ct O CC o o M 1-1 Tl C5 1— ¦ CO O^ lO ct C? CO CC 1- X c; CD r-; ct -r — o -— Ir- o lo o 1-- 1— ' 'i 1 CD CD Ci 1^- >.' Ol CO LO r- r- ^ lO ct C: O CD rH o^ c^i -c: .^ LO O X L- ,-! CO — -H I—tT-H .— ' ^- ,_|,_t,_|,-H $ P_, >— ' £— -r ct to CC >^. 1-H ct ro < 3 .M . I--I -Tl .o r^ O -.^ O 7-1 c^ -,- ^ " -T- JU J^^ 55 1:-! -:. o Ci c^} C-. o c:; 3^ ^1 o -TT o ct; ..o . s ct CO J^ CO O oo C3 O LO r— r- — O t^ o 1 = LO CO LO -^ I— ( lO T-H 0-1 LO CO CC T" LO CD' r_ w ^1 s ^li r--c:iLOTiC5r-ictc:j-rf^^-rr^i— LO rt c: ¦Ml— iiOCOO-^C:lOcD — "M^-XX 04 CD r^ ct t- — LO 00 J>- — O O O OD C^l — y lOCOi— ii—icD^-COOlr-LOOcD-^Ct ¦Mi-HCQCN " ^ r-cDoictLOOo^it— .coootooio r-i OiOOC0Xl--Xl:~-X CtOOQOOi— M ' s m 7 1 t~CC.t-cCl-~C-lT-.XCC'^CiC5C.0CN :a it-cot^lo ':J^rHl-^TH:^^I^coccx e& tC . " -^ ' l>- O t^ 71 O 7^ CO' O rj ~ T -t -^ rH , 1 ^ XcDOijOt— COi— iI^-rriTMOJCiOt— t-H T- > Ml— CD-^OZ'Oi— lOi— LOLOT^cCr- ¦<*" i. uOLO'— 'TiC^t— lOcDC: r-T-cTct-^ --"XLOOUDCMrHj— ogOJLOC^Cil-- ^ c. -§ "i ^1? <; -H 243,312 188,005 210,474 177,707 OD C1J — cr t-- I- 71 T a: ., C' --s^ t — 00 o r^ ~ o o -TM ^^"--i.'^^^-' c-^ ^ o o :>r cT or CD ^ cT o" ..o" cT i>r r- (M — M r^ CO CO o oo Addison, --- Bennington, - - Caledonia, --- Chittenden, - - Essex, --- - Franklin, - -- Grand Isle, -- Laraoille, --- Orange, - -- - Orleans, -- - Rutland, - -- Washington, - .- Windham, - .- Windsor, -- - t1 "a1 Note.— By comparing the numbers in the above table with the returns of 1 840, o-iven . in Part I., p. 52-67, it will bo seen that, while the number of horses and cattle has re mained nearly the same, there has been a very great diminution ofthe number of hoo-s and sheep. The number of sheep returned shows a diminution of more than 600,000. CIVIL mSTORY. 61 PRODUCE OP THE YEAS ENDINO JUNE 1, 1850. SEVENTH CENSUS. PRODUCE OF THE YEAR ENDING JUNE 1, 1850. noTTN'TTli"^ Wheat, Rye, Ind. Corn. Oats, Peas and Potatoes, Barley, Wool, Bushels. Bushels. Bushels. Bushels. Bea. Bu. Bushels. Bush'ls. Pounds. Addison, 108,434 20,096 175,478 211,385 26,355 318,421 149 622,594 Bennington, 6,973 17,270 150,920 177,-511 3,150 200,013 3,003 221,679 Caledonia, 62,551 2,090 96,389 218,735 6,419 565,341 3,658 136,790 Chittenden, 36,491 25,566 198,598 184,752 10,890 383,113 682 185,215 Essex, 8,826 1,360 21,981 45,597 2,506 94,124 1,221 29,614 Franklin, 55,488 9,188 137,896 145,840 10,255 258,757 815 209,350 Grand Isle, 31,324 3,986 23:245 81,027 10,469 31,793 739 70,291 LamoUle, 14,466 6,663 66,017 90,434 4,351 278,252 629 49,053 Orange, 52,822 9,740 176,586 205.457 5,658 599,925 1,861 248,715 Orleans, 58,515 4,853 70,306 169,587 3,723 407,132 8,974 ^1,947 Rutland, 25,874 20,598 258,831 188,706 4,220 416,000 627 623,199 Washington, 30,580 10,567 133,477 208,554 4,954 446,551 865 153,843 Windham, 8,749 18,802 210,141 160,393 2,279 338,295 14,124 179,122 Windsor, 39,862 26,004 312,581 224,756 9,920 618,297 4,808 589,305 Aggregate, 535,955 176,233 2,032,396 2,307,784 104,649 4,951,014 42,150 3,400,717 PRODUCE OF THE YEAR ENDING JUNE 1 1850. Bucliwh't Orchard Wine, Pro. Mar. Butter, Cheese, , Hay, Clo.S. Gr. Se'd Bushels. Pi-oduoe. Gal's. Garden. Pounds. Pounds. Tons, Bush. Bush'ls. Addison, 15,659 $41,696 114 $ 876,771 817,149, 88,793 5 1,589 Bennington, 22,797 16,629 7 1,558 502,786 558,494 54,600 622 Caledonia, 14,380 26,0941 47 355 1,206,272 121,602 59,449 179 2,991 Chittenden, 10,003 33,841 303 10,918 838,481 1,663,4561 57,407 2 619 Essex, 15,400 4,523 292,615 122,8211 14,972 88 928 FraTiklin, 10,095 19,429 107 1,399,455 1,196,660: 78,619 1,050 Grand Isle, 12,140 11,228 12 93,225 26,793 6,980 I 300 Lamoille, 10,373 9,095 94 437,110 213,035 26,978 9 687 Orange, 28,942 28,980 270 869,042 428,876 70,549 206 609 Orleans, 15,305 5,920 645,160 68,092 46,288 39 1,798 Rutland, 12,051 88,457 19 587 1,120,814 1,980,047 103,950 1 773 Washington, 10,135 20,620 1,475 970,868 437,476 64,969 37 767 Windham, 7,581 19,139 15 581 1,144,658 '469,728 84,749 76 392 Windsor, 25,006 44,609 60 3,045 1,741,228 667,106 118,865 167 1,916 Aggregate, 209,819 315,255 669 18,853 12,187,980 8,720,834 866,153 760 14,936 PRODUCE OF THE YEAR ENDING JUNE 1, 1850. COUNTIES. Addison,Bennington, Caledonia,Chittenden, Essex,Franklin,Grand Isle, Lamoille, Orange,Orleans, Rutland, Washington,Windham, Windsor, ;e, Hops, Pounds. ma-x. Pounds. 5,962 193 1,422 28,250 1,610 15,657 23,827 77,605 162 12,12541,510 79,700 288,023 Fl'xS'd Bush. 1,282 2,5222,365 968 855 1,052 331 1,2938,752 660986 2,730 518 1.538 Silt Oo. Pounds. 51 182 113 26 11 33 8 41 158 140 22 3110 163 20,8521 939 Map. Sugar, Pounds.* 76 30 16 1 142 268 Molas,Gall's. 206,263 220,009 854,820 242,842 145,041 684,511 32,665 427,918 532,156656,883 492,664 765,429 470,984 618,222 6,349,357 Wax and Horl, lbs. 650 165364 70 129 8623 674 407 1,3602,119 5,997 Ho. Man- ufac, Val, 40,654 14,81422,86318,319 3,855 20,536 4,866 11,50112,488 6,461 37,370 1 7,2997,255 81,191 249,422 Ani. Slaugh tered. Value. $9,648 6,4-50 40,343 13,35922,04426,247 3,449 6,684 27,84616,422 12,62017,26913,32152,608 267,710 $176,856 86,123 185,587134,536 87,020 141,682 19,96780,296 160,430 86,672 184,251155,477 189,095 273,394 1,861,336 *-B^ ..nranarinffthe amount of Maple Sugar here given, with amount made m 1840, as stated >n Part I, ™l%oT^ll be seen that the advlnce in the annual manufacture of this article, Mnounts o 1,701,423 page 210, It will M seen m improvement in the quality of the sugar made as well as increase PT^ntitv Two ^S° Sate w^rl awarded at the World's Pair, in London, to 1851, for Vermont Sugar, one ?o Mr L Kof ichelter, and the other to Mi-, W. Barnes, of Rutland, 62 APPENDIX TO THOMPSON'S VERMONT, PRODUCTIOKS 01' INDUSTRT. REAL AND PERSONAL ESTATE. TAXES. WAGES. PAUPERISM. PRODUCTIONS OF INDUSTRY IN THE YEAR ENDING JUNE 1, 1850. COUNTIES. No, of Estab, Capital Invested. Value of raw Material No, of Hands. Monthly Wages. Value of Male, Fema. Male. Female. Ann. Prod. Addison, 161 $289,375 $860,069 523 74 $12,148 $ 704 $659,838 Bennington, 150 468,060 414,622 652 117 16,137 1,077 880,216 Caledonia, 248 444,180 399,427 742 74 18,683 869 799,053 Chittenden, 202 771,610 700,192 848 868 19,211 3,121 1,820,730 Essex, 32 31,250 23,689 55 1,235 48,794 Franklin, 112 147,710 126,879 364 80 7,183 247 286,697 Grand Isle, 9 18,100 1,790 417 675 15,600 Lamoille, 45 110,300 93,108 116 31 2,909 421 175,861 Orange, 85 171,045 110,774 226 27 6,122 244 219,165 Orleans, 68 64,450 60,148 116 9 2,188 73 119,036 Rutland, 276 828,975 490,607 1,280 99 30,703 957 1,284,756 Washington, 77 231,337 223,705 375 74 9,6-56 784 525,236 Windsor, 196 476,720 399,933 649 273 15,345 3,601 831,209 Windham, 193 958,275 6,001,877 767,809 902 375 25,976 5,365 1,406,729 Aggregate, 1,849 4,172,552 6,894 1,661 166,066 17,463 8,670,920 REAL AND PERSONAL ESTATE IN VERMONT. Valuation of Real and Personal Estate, by Assessors, $71,671,651 Estimated true value ofReal and Personal Estate, - 92,205,049 General State Tax, School Tax, Poor Tax, County, Town, &c.. Taxes, Total, TAXES. WAGES. Average Monthly Wages of a Farm Hand, " to a Day Laborer, with Board, " to a Day Laborer, without Board, " Day Wages to a Carpenter, without Board, Weekly Wages to a Female Domestic, with Board, Price of Board to Laboring Men, $138,533 88,930 90,809 401,142 $719,414 $13,00 0,72 0,971,44 1,19 1,95 PAUPERISM. Whole No. of Paupers within the year ending June 1, 1850, Whole No. of Paupers on June 1, 1860, - - - Native. Foreign. Total. 2043 1611 3654 1565 314 1879 CRIME. Whole No. of Criminals convicted within the year ending June 1,1850 ! 34 Whole No. in Prison on June 1, 1850, - - 64 Native. Foreign. Total, 4541 79 105 At the time of the publication of our History of Vermont in 1842, we had nei ther canals nor raU roads within the state; but we ventured the opinion, (Part I, page 217) that Bostou would in time be connec ted with Lake Champlain by a continua tion of the Lowell and Concord rail road. At that time we little thought that the short period of ten years would witness the completion of a net-work of rail road over the whole country. Ten years ago the con- RAIL ROADS IN VERMONT. struction of a railway across the Green Mountains from the valley of the Connect icut to Lake Champlain, was very general ly regarded as a chimerical notion, which would never be realized, and they who en tertained it were looked upon as visionaries. But events have proved it otherwise. We have already two rail roads crossing tlie state from east to west, connecting these vallies; and, also a road in each of these vallies running north and south, through CIVIL HISTORY. 63 RAIL ROADS IN VERMONT. MAGNETIC TELEGRAPH. nearly the entire length of the state. The first rail road commenced in this sta,te was the Vermont Central, and the ground was first broken for the construc tion of that road iu the spring of 1846 at Windsor. The Rutland and Burlington road was commenced in the spring of 1847, and both of these roads were opened from Connecticut river to Burlington in Decem ber, 1849. > The following table exhibits the names, the terminations, the lengths, and the times of opening the several railroads, in opera tion in April, 1863. NAMES. TERMINATIONS. LENGTH, OPENED. Atlantic and St. Lawrence,* Bloomfield, Norton, 34 1853 Conn, and Passumpsic Rivers, White River, St. Johnsbury, 61 1851 Rutland and Burlington, Burlington, Bellows Falls, 119 1849 Rutland and Washington, Rutland, Poultney, 18 1862 Rutland and Whitehall, Castleton, Whitehall, 12 1850 Vermont Central, Burlington, Windsor, 117 1849 Vermont and Canada, Essex Junction, Rouse's Point, 47 1850 Vermont and Massachusetts, Brattleborough, South Vernon, 10 1849 Vermont Valley, Bellows Falls, Brattleborough, 24 1851 Western Vermont, Rutland, N.Bennington, 51 1852 Several others are in contemplation with in the state, and no great length of time will probably elapse before the Connecticut and Passumpsic Rivers road will be con tinued northward from St. Johnsbury. to Canada Line. The effects which these roads have produced upon the towns through and near which they pass, are marked and ob- 498 I vious, but I have not room to partic\ilarize them. *This is a section of the rail way designed to con nect Portland, Me , with Montreal, C. E. It is now opened (April, 1853,) from Portland to Island Pond in Brighton and from Montreal to Sherbrooke. The intermediate portion from Sherbrooke to Island Pond is nearly reaiiy for the rails and is expected to be opened m the coiurse of a few months. Tho length here given is only an estimate from the Map. MAGNETIC TELEGRAPH, The Magnetic Telegraph, which seems to be essential to the safe management of rail roads, sprang into being very soon after the time when railroads themselves had their origin; and they were introduced simultaneously into Vermont. The first line of telegraph in Vermont,forras a part of the Troy and Canada Junction Line, and was commenced in 1847. It was opened for communication, from Troy to Burlington, on the 2d of Feb. 1848, and was soon after carried through to Montreal. This line enters the state at Bennington, passes thro' Manchester, Rutland, Castleton, White hall, Orwell, Brandon, Middlebury, Ver gennes, ¦ Burlington and St. Albans, and leaves the state at Highgate. The length of this line, within the state, is 200 miles. The JVorthern Telegraph Line connects Boston with Rutland. Proceeding from Boston by way of Fitchburg .and Keene it enters the state at Bellows Falls and fol lows the line of the Rutland and Burling ton rail road through Chester and Ludlow to Rutland. Length within the state 50 miles. . Vermont and Boston Telegraph Line.— Proceeding from Boston by way of Lowell and Concord, this line enters the state at White River Junction, "and, after going to Woodstock and back, 20 miles, follows the line of the Central rail road, passing thro' South Royalton, West Randolph, Northfield Montpelier, Waterbury, and Essex Junction to Burlington. From Burlington it follows the Vermont and Canada rail road through St. Albans and Swanton to Rouse's Point, where it leaves the state, and proceeds in two branches, one to Montreal and the oth er to Ogdensburgh. Connected with this line and crossing it at White River Junc tion, the same corapany have a line along the valley of the Connecticut, reaching from St. Johnsbury to Springfield, Mass. From St. Johnsbury it follows the rail road through Newbury and Bradford to Norwich, where it crosses over to Hanover and back, and then proceeds down to White Kiver Junction. From the Junction it proceeds to Windsor, crosses over to Clareraont, N. H., then back to Weathersfield Bow, thence to Springfield — then by way of Charlestown bridge to Charlestown, and down the Sulli van rail road to Bellows Falls. Frora Bel lows Falls it proceeds down the Connecticut on the Vermont side thro' Brattleborough into Massachusetts. The whole length of telegraph line belonging to this company is about 700 miles, of which more than 300 are in Vermont. The whole length of tel egraph wire in the state is little less than 600 miles, and the cost of building, inclu ding appurtenances and patent privileges has been about $216 per mile. INDEX TO THE APP.ENDIX TO THOMPSON'S VERMON'l'. Page. ] Page, Pagf. Acres of Land or Farms, 60 Igneous Rocks, 51 Sanguinolaria fusca, - - 56 Adams' C. B., - - - 41 Infusorial Silica, - 58 Saxicava rugosa. 55 Agricultural Productions, 60 Isle la Motte Limestone, 43 Schools, - 60 Amia ocellicauda. 36 .Jumping Mouse, 13 Sciurus hudsonius. 14 Animalcules, 58 Kaolin, - - - . - 50 Serpentine, - 52 Ardea minor. 26 King-bird, Olive-sided, 21 Snake jMountain, 45 Boleosoma tassellatum. 31 Lawrencian Deposit, - 54 Snow, fall of - - 9 Beluga vermontana, - - 16 Leuciscas atromaculatus ,32 Sparry Limestone, - 46 Birds of Vermont, - 20 Libraries, 60 Sponge, Fossil 55 Bittern, 26 Lime, - - - 45 Spring, Advance of 9 Botany, 35 Limestone, Blue, - - 49 Squirrel, White 14 Bowfin, 35 Literary Institutions, - 60 Stargazer, - 3] Brandon Ores, 50 Live Stock, 60 Stockbridge Limestone, - 46 Brown Coal, 50 Loon, Red-throated 28 Superficial Deposits, 54 Calciferous Sandstone, 42 Lucioperca Canadensis, - . 80 Swallow Tree, - 25 Catalogue of Plants, - - 36 Maclurea magna. 43 Sylvia striata, - 22 Champlain Rocks, - 42 Magnesian Slate, 46 " mficapilla, .- - 23 Charlotte, Map of 19 Manufactures, 62 ' ' pardolina. 93 Chazy Limestone, 43 Marble, - - 46 " parus, - - - 23 Chromic Iron, - 52 Marl, Shell 56 " Philadelphia, •ip Clay Stones, 58 Masquallonge, 32 " americana. - 24 Climate and Meteorology , 1 Merula alivacea. 22 Taconic Rocks, 40 Coccoborus ludovicianus 24 Muck, Vegetable - 57 Talcose Division, - - 47 Colleges, - - - 60 Muscicapa traillii, - 21 Tanager, Scarlet 24 Columba migratoria, - 26 " ruticilla, - 21 Telegraph, 63 Colymbus septentrionalis ,28 " pusilla, - 22 Temperature, Burlington, 7 Coregonus clupeiformis. 34 Mus leucopus. 13 " Newbury, - 8 Corals, - - - 43 Mya arenaria. 55 ' ' Extremes - i Cottus gobioides. 31 Mytilus edulis. 55 Tertiary Formation, 50 Crime, - - 62 News Papers, - 60 Titaniferous Iron Ore, - 52 Cypselus pelasgius, 25 Nucula portlandica, - 56 Topography, - - 5 Dace, smaU-scaled, 32 Oakes, Wra,, 36 Tortoise, Geographic - - 28 Darter, 31 Orthis, 44 Tortoise, Soft-shelled 20 Dikes, 53 Orthoceras, 43 Totanus melanoleucas. 27 Drift,- - 54 Oven, 45 Trap Dikes, - 52 Eagle, Golden - 20 Paupers, - - - 62 Trenton Limestone, - 43 Elephant, Fossil 14 Phenomena, L, Champla, ,10 Trilobites, 44 Elephas primogenius, - 14 Phoca vitulina, - 18 Tringa semi-palmata, 27 Emys geographica. 28 Pickerel, - 33 Trionyx ferox. 29 Essex nobilior. 32 Picus pileatus. 25 Trout Perch, 33 Essox'estor, - 83 Pigeon, Passenger 26 Tyrannus cooperi, -. 21 Falco chrysaetos, - - - 20 Pike Perch, - - 30 Utica Slate, - 44 Felis concolor, - 12 Population by towns. 58 Vespertilio novobaraceu , 11 Fishes, - . - - 30 " by counties. 60 Vireo gilvus, -^ - 22 Flycatcher, Traill's - 21 Porphyry, - - 52 Warbler, Green black-cap 22 Fossil Seeds, - 51 Products of Industry, - 62 Black-poll - - 22 Fringilla borealis. 24 Quadrupeds of Vermont 11 Red-poll - 23 Geological Survey, 40 Quartz, Granular - 47 " Canada- - 23 Geology of Vermont, - 40 Rail Roads, - 62 '"' Hemlock,- 28 Gold Formation, 48 Redpoll, Mealy 24 " Mourning - 23 Grain, - - - - 60 Red Sandrock, 44 " Parti-colored 24 Granite, - 52 Redstart, - 21 Warbling Vireo, 22 Grosbeak, Rose-breasted, 24 Reptiles of Vermont, 28 Water, Fall of "s Heights, 6 Rocking Stones, 52 Whale, Fossil 15 Hematite, - - 50 Roofing Slate, 46 Wood, Fossil - - 55 Herring Salmon, - 34 Salmoperca pellucida, - 38 Woodpecker, Crested 25 Hudson River Shale, - 1 44 Sandpiper, semipalmated ,27 Yellow Shanks, - 27 2L ';i*%.«"i'!ii#? k>j.'*»»»i-"-'» . - , .-'"iri? ,.^ ii-'«V>u^^