Green fields and whispering woods; or, The recreations of an American "country gentleman"; embracing journeys over his farm and excursions into his library . eet. Following along upon the northerly side of the long bankknown as the ridge, is a water-course, which is dry in sum- *Bayard Taylos. 320 TEE WATER-WATS. ^?^xy^Mfy/. ^ ^ Ay .;ttr ?^ r f. f \ mer, but wTiicli drains a large area ofcountry lying to the north-eastwardThis water-way pursues a north-west-erly couise, running nearly parallelwith the ridge, and forms a junctionwith the beaver-meadow brook, beforespoken of, at a point some thr
Green fields and whispering woods; or, The recreations of an American "country gentleman"; embracing journeys over his farm and excursions into his library . eet. Following along upon the northerly side of the long bankknown as the ridge, is a water-course, which is dry in sum- *Bayard Taylos. 320 TEE WATER-WATS. ^?^xy^Mfy/. ^ ^ Ay .;ttr ?^ r f. f \ mer, but wTiicli drains a large area ofcountry lying to the north-eastwardThis water-way pursues a north-west-erly couise, running nearly parallelwith the ridge, and forms a junctionwith the beaver-meadow brook, beforespoken of, at a point some three hun-dred yards eastwardly from the westernline of the farm. From this point welldefined banks begin to appear, the val-ley suddenly grows narrow, and here,in stiong probability, a few generationssince was a not inconsiderable streamflowing perennially. This creek driesup completely now very early in thesummer, but it perfonns the usefulfunction of an outlet for the drainsof the greater portion of the farm. From things that do appear it isevident that at one time the beaversexercised undis23uted sovereignty overall the region which now constitutes. THE BEAVERS—THE SOILS. 321 the flats and meadows of Oakfields and mucli adjoining ter-ritory. Water-courses and remains of other works of theirsare visible on every hand. Euins of a large dam are plainlydiscernible below the junction of the two creeks we havedescribed; and, doubtless, it was owing to the continuedmaintenance of a dam here by the curious and sagaciousspatula-tailed rodents, through many ages, perhaps,— causingthe overflow of the country above and preventing thegrowth of trees,— that our meadow was formed, What ingenuity was here displayed! what cunning! sagac-ity approaching reason! It is due to these industrious,social and courageous little creatures, the christening of thislowland the beaver-meadow. That is the name, then, whichit shall bear forever! But not in the meadow alone were the traces of the beavera
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Keywords: ., bo, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, bookidgreenfieldswhisp00burt
