QH 
 
 105 
 
 V7T37 
 
 THOMPSON 
 
 NATURAL HISTORY 
 OF VERMONT
 
 THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 LOS ANGELES
 
 Natural ^istotg of 
 
 AN ADDRESS 
 
 BY ZADOCK THOMPSON.
 
 Natural f)i*torjj of bcrmont. 
 
 AN 
 
 ADDRESS 
 
 DELIVERED AT BOSTON, 
 
 BEFORE THE 
 
 BOSTON SOCIETY OF NATURAL HISTORY, 
 
 JUNE, 1850, 
 
 BY ZADOCKTHOMPSON. 
 
 BURLINGTON : 
 PUBLISHED BY CHAUNCEY GOODRICH. 
 
 1850."
 
 lo.<5 
 Y 
 
 A D D K E S S. 
 
 MR. PRESIDENT AND GENTLEMEN OF THE SOCIETY : 
 
 WHEN I received your kind invitation to appear 
 before you on this occasion, I immediately wrote a 
 reply, in which, after expressing- my grateful acknowl- 
 edgment of the honor done me, I respectfully declined 
 it. In that reply, I stated that, although I had ever 
 felt a deep interest in the affairs of this Society, and 
 had at different times contributed a few trifling things, 
 from my own neighborhood, to its collections, yet my 
 diffidence and ignorance of what would be expected 
 of me, would make me extremely reluctant to appear 
 before it on this occasion, even if I could do it without 
 having any fears of bringing discredit upon myself or 
 upon the Institution. But when I considered the 
 opportunities I had enjoyed, and my qualifications for 
 this position, (or rather the want of them,) an accept- 
 ance of the invitation appeared to me to be little less 
 than downright presumption : and I there stated 
 that, for a person who had always resided, as I had 
 done, among the Green Mountains of Vermont who 
 had never been so far from home as Boston, perhaps, a 
 dozen times in his life who had done what little he 
 had done in the business of Natural History, without 
 any associates engaged in like pursuits without hav- 
 ing access to any collections of specimens and almost
 
 without books; for a person, who had always been 
 thus situated, to attempt to discourse upon the general 
 subject of Natural History, before the Naturalists of 
 Boston and vicinity, who have enjoyed years of mutual 
 aid and intercourse, and who have been privileged 
 with easy access to ample collections of specimens and 
 books, appeared to me as absurd as would be an 
 attempt of Le Vender's new planet, Neptune, to illu- 
 minate the Sun. 
 
 Having delayed, for a few days, the transmission of 
 this reply, and having in the meantime reflected some- 
 what upon the subject, I finally changed my determi- 
 nation, and concluded that, if it would be consistent 
 with the occasion for me to confine my remarks princi- 
 pally to the sphere of my own observations to the 
 productions of my own neighborhood and to the 
 advantages and difficulties in the way of the cultivation 
 of Natural History in newly settled country places, I 
 would venture to accept the invitation. This change 
 of my determination was not on account of any change 
 of views of my own qualifications to discuss the gen- 
 eral subject of Natural History, but because I thought 
 it possible that I might say something respecting the 
 productions of a country so little known as Vermont, 
 which would be new and interesting to many of the 
 members of this Society; and, if I failed in this, my 
 veiy failure would confirm the truth of my statements 
 in relation to the difficulties in the way of the cultivation 
 of Natural History in country places. 
 
 The State of Vermont, in which I reside, being 
 entirely without a sea-board, is, consequently, wholly 
 destitute of that great and interesting variety of pro- 
 ductions furnished by the ocean, with the exception of
 
 those which are now only found in the fossil state. 
 Hence, it could not be expected that Vermont would 
 equal, in the variety of its fauna and botany, those 
 neighboring States, which can number the marine with 
 their terrestrial productions. Its settlement, too, took 
 place at a period much later than that of any of the 
 other New England States, and the people have, hith- 
 erto, necessarily, been so much occupied in clearing 
 away the forests and providing the means of subsis- 
 tence, as to allow them neither the time nor the advan- 
 tages for scientific pursuits, which are enjoyed in the 
 older States. Consequently, the number of those who 
 have made any attempt to investigate our natural his- 
 tory has been exceedingly small, compared with the 
 numbers engaged in like pursuits in other States. 
 Hence, it would not be surprising, should it be found 
 that Vermont has been less thoroughly explored than 
 the neighboring States those States, especially, in 
 which legislative aid has been added to their other 
 advantages. 
 
 The most prominent characteristic in the physical 
 features of Vermont is the range of Green Mountains. 
 These mountains, which give name to the State, extend 
 through its entire length from south to north, and have 
 an important relation to the various animal and veget- 
 able productions. The two slopes of this range, one 
 terminating in Connecticut river on the east, and the 
 other in Lake Champlain and Hudson river on the 
 west, are so dissimilar in their characteristic produc- 
 tions, that they may be regarded as two distinct prov- 
 inces for the labors of the naturalist. While the east- 
 ern slope is, in its character, clearly identified with 
 New England, the western exhibits, as clearly, the
 
 characteristics of New York and the western States ; 
 and this distinction is more or less observable in all 
 the three kingdoms of nature in the rocks and min- 
 erals, in the vegetables, and in the animals. 
 
 The geology and mineralogy of Vermont have, 
 during- a few years past, received considerable atten- 
 tion. At the commencement of the geological surveys 
 in the neighboring States, there were in Vermont a 
 few individuals who were sufficiently acquainted with 
 those subjects to be able to form a just estimate of the 
 importance of such surveys, not only for advancing the 
 cause of science, but for developing the resources of the 
 country ; and they no sooner saw them in the course 
 of successful prosecution abroad, than they began to 
 urge upon the Legislature of Vermont the advanta- 
 ges of a like survey of their own State. But a majority 
 of our legislature, being unable to comprehend these 
 advantages, or to foresee any benefits which would 
 justify the expenditure that would be required for 
 such a survey, refused for six or seven years to make 
 any provision for it, although the subject was, in the 
 mean time, urged upon their attention at each annual 
 session of the Legislature. 
 
 At length, in 1844, a bill was passed, by a small 
 majority, directing the Governor to appoint a State 
 geologist to conduct a geological survey of the State, 
 and making a small annual appropriation ($2000,) 
 for three years, to defray the expense. A geologist 
 was appointed, and the work was zealously prosecu- 
 ted during the continuance of the appropriation ; and I 
 think I may say, without fear of contradiction, that as 
 much labor was performed and as much investigation 
 effected as were ever accomplished, with the same
 
 expenditure, in any other State. But it was not possi- 
 ble, in the nature of things, that the whole State should 
 be explored and the whole work accomplished in so 
 short a period, with so small an annual appropriation. 
 At the close of the three years there still remained 
 some portions of the State which had not been exam- 
 ined, and other portions of which circumstances had 
 rendered a re-examination desirable ; and it was 
 confidently expected that an additional appropriation 
 would be made, sufficient to enable the State geolo- 
 gist to complete the necessary examinations, and 
 prepare for publication a well digested, final report. 
 But our Legislature have thought otherwise. They 
 have now, for three annual sessions, since the survey 
 was suspended, refused to make any further appro- 
 priations for that object, and most of the results of the 
 labor performed seem likely to be lost to the State and 
 to science. With the exception of what is contained 
 in the brief annual reports, nearly all that remains is 
 locked up, in short hand note, in the field books in the 
 boxes of untrimmed and unticketed specimens, and 
 in the heads of the State geologist and his assistants. 
 
 The Green Mountains have, for some years past, 
 presented to geologists an interesting problem, which 
 was the determination of their geological age and 
 character, and particularly the age and character of 
 that portion of the western slope of these mountains 
 which has been denominated the Taconic System. 
 And as the larger part of this range of mountains was 
 within the limits of Vermont, the attention of the geol- 
 ogists of the country was directed to the geological 
 survey of that State, as being likely to furnish a satis- 
 factory solution .of the problem ; and during the con-
 
 8 
 
 tinuance of the survey, that object was kept constantly 
 in view by those engaged in it. Many sections were 
 traced eastward from the well known Silurian rocks, 
 which occupy the valley of Lake Champlain, to the 
 centre of the Green Mountain range, and many facts 
 were brought to light which have an important bearing 
 upon the problem which I have mentioned ; but just 
 as the examinations were being completed, and the 
 results and facts were to be brought together, system- 
 atized and weighed, the survey was suspended ; and 
 whether it will ever be resumed or not, is a problem 
 which time only can solve. 
 
 The rocks in the western part of Vermont, in the 
 valley of Lake Champlain, are highly fossiliferous and 
 clearly belong to that portion of the lower Silurian, 
 denominated by the New York geologists the Cham- 
 plain group. To the eastward of these, and mostly in 
 the, south part of the State, lie the so-called Taconic 
 rocks. These last consist principally of slates, lime- 
 stone,* and quartz rock. A few fossils are believed to 
 have been found in them, but they are extremely rare 
 and obscure; and the question with regard to these 
 rocks is, as I understand it, whether they are a series 
 of fossiliferous rocks which are older than the Cham- 
 plain group, or are metamorphic members of that 
 group, whose fossils have been mostly obliterated by 
 heat. 
 
 To the eastward of the Champlain and Taconic 
 groups, I am not aware that any fossiliferous rocks 
 have been found, in place, within the State. Lying next 
 to these, is a belt of talcose slate formation, varying 
 
 * The limestone of this series furnishes inexhaustible quarries 
 of the most beautiful white marble.
 
 from 15 to 30 miles in width, and extending" through 
 the entire length of the State from south to north, 
 This belt embraces all the highest summits of the 
 Green Mountain range. The rocks, though generally 
 more or less talcose, contain, in many places, a large 
 proportion of mica, and, in some places, are highly 
 chloride. Near the eastern margin of this belt there 
 is a narrow range of steatite, extending through the 
 State, having associated with it or embraced within it, 
 in many places, extensive beds of serpentine rock, 
 Which are capable of furnishing, in great abundance, 
 and of excellent quality, that beautiful variety of mag- 
 nesian marble, called Verd Antique. In this serpen- 
 tine, in the north part of the State, large veins of the 
 magnetic oxyde, and also of the chromic iron, have 
 been opened. The whole belt which I have mentioned, 
 is entirely destitute, certainly in the north half of the 
 State, both of limestone and granite. 
 
 Between this belt of Talcose rocks and Connecticut 
 river, the formation consists of clay, slate, mica, horn- 
 blende, and talcose slates, gneiss and limestone fre- 
 quently interstratified, and of numerous protrusions, 
 and some extensive regions of granite. This granite 
 is of excellent quality for building stone, but the lime^ 
 stone of this formation is all too siliceous for the man- 
 ufacture of good quicklime.* 
 
 * While all the western parts of Vermont abound .in the best of 
 limestone, there is in the eastern and north-eastern parts of the" 
 State no limestone from which good quicklime can be made. Ill 
 the south-western part of Windsor county, and western part of 
 Windham county, there is a gray limestone, and in the north-east- 
 ern part of the State are extensive beds of shell marl, which make 
 a tolerable lime for ordinary purposes. These marl-beds were 
 
 2
 
 10 
 
 One of the most marked peculiarities in the geology 
 of Vermont, is found in the general dip of the stratified 
 rocks, which is, with a few trifling exceptions, towards 
 a synclinal axis extending north and south near the 
 centre of the Green Mountain range. Along the shore 
 of Lake Champlain the rocks are nearly horizontal, 
 having only a slight easterly dip ; but the dip increases 
 pretty uniformly, in proceeding eastward, till it becomes 
 vertical at a line a little westward of the principal 
 summits of the Green Mountains. From this line, for 
 a distance of seven or eight miles eastward, the dip of 
 the strata continues nearly vertical. This space 
 embraces the highest part of the mountain range, and, 
 to the eastward of it, the general dip of the rocks is 
 distinctly westward ; but the rocks are here more dis- 
 turbed, and the dip less uniform, than on the west side 
 of the mountains. 
 
 With regard to the question, whether the rocks, 
 which form the Green Mountains and extend east- 
 ward to Connecticut river, are truly primary, or ante- 
 palffiozoic, as was formerly supposed, or are metamor- 
 phic silurian rocks, which are newer than the Cham- 
 plain group, as has been more recently suspected, I 
 would only observe, that evidence in favor of the latter 
 
 originally formed in the bottoms of ponds ; but these ponds have, 
 in many cases, entirely disappeared, and the places they occupied 
 became dry land. One of the most interesting of these marl-beds 
 is in Williamstown. It covers about seven acres, and is in some 
 parts 18 feet deep. It is a very pure carbonate of lime, consisting 
 entirely of comminuted fresh water shells. This marl is formed 
 into a paste, moulded in the form of bricks, and then burned in a 
 kiln. The quicklime thus obtained is quite white, and for most 
 purposes is scarcely inferior to that obtained from the Champlain 
 and Taconic limestone.
 
 11 
 
 opinion was constantly accumulating" during the con- 
 tinuance of our survey, and has been greatly increased 
 by the labors of Mr. Logan, the provincial geologist 
 of Canada, along our northern boundary. 
 
 The rocks, in place, in Vermont, are, for the most 
 part, covered by the drift formation ; but wherever 
 exposed, they are found to be worn and smoothed, 
 and, usually, striated or scratched in the direction in 
 which the drift materials have been transported, which 
 is, generally, from a little west of north to a little east 
 of. south ; but this direction is, in various places, very 
 considerably modified by the direction of the ridges 
 and valleys, being north and south in the lower parts 
 of the valleys of Lake Champlain and of Connecticut 
 river, but from north-west to south-east, and in some 
 places nearly from west to east, in the valleys and 
 gorges of the Green Mountains. Vermont furnishes 
 many veiy interesting cases of the transportation of 
 boulders to a distance of many miles from the quarries 
 in which they originated. Rolled masses of a peculiar 
 kind of granite, often of several tons weight, are found 
 scattered over the lower parts of Caledonia county, 
 from 20 to 30 miles to the south-eastward of the local- 
 ity, in Orleans county, from which they were evidently 
 derived, and blocks of a calcareous sandstone, found, in 
 place, only along the shore of Lake Champlain, are 
 met with far into the interior of the State, and, in some 
 cases, to the eastward of the principal summits of the 
 Green Mountains.* I mention these merely as exam- 
 
 * Some of these boulders are found resting at a level 50 feet or 
 more above the highest parts of the same rocks as they are now 
 found in place.
 
 12 
 
 pies. Many other cases might be adduced of equal 
 interest. 
 
 The unstratified drift in the western part of the 
 State, and the Champlain rocks, are to a great extent 
 covered by a post-tertiary marine deposit of stratified 
 sand and clay, which has been called the Pleistocene 
 formation. The strata of this formation are nearly 
 horizontal, and are, for the most part, undisturbed and 
 regular, showing- that they were deposited in a tranquil 
 sea. The depth of this deposit, in places, exceeds 100 
 feet, and the highest parts of it are about 400 feet 
 above the present level of the ocean. The fossils 
 found in it are considerably numerous, and are, in 
 general, such as are now found in a living state on the 
 coast of New England. The fossil bones of a small 
 species of whale, which I had the pleasure to exhibit 
 before this Society in December last, were found in 
 this formation. 
 
 From the remarks which I have made, it must be 
 obvious that Vermont combines in its geology the 
 characteristics of western New England with those of 
 New York. The meeting, in Vermont, of two great 
 botanical and zoological districts or provinces, is equal- 
 ly apparent. 
 
 Vermont, for a small inland State, is regarded as 
 peculiarly rich in vegetable productions ; and some 
 portions of the State have been pretty thoroughly 
 explored by skiful botanists. When its settlement was 
 commenced, its entire surface was covered with for- 
 ests, which were probably unsurpassed, in density and 
 luxuriance, by those of any other section of our country 
 of equal area. The sugar maple and white pine found 
 no where else a more congenial soil ; and the ever-
 
 13 
 
 greens, spruce, and fir, which covered the surface of 
 our mountains, and first suggested for them the name 
 of Verd Mont, grow to a respectable size almost to 
 their highest summits, several of which exceed 4,000 
 feet in height. With the exception of seven or eight 
 species, our list of forest trees embraces all that have 
 hitherto been found in New England, and three, or 
 more, species, which have been found in no other New 
 England State. 
 
 Aside from the marine plants furnished by the sea- 
 board, and a few alpine plants found on the White 
 Mountains of New Hampshire, Vermont is known to 
 produce nearly all of the indigenous plants of New 
 England, and in addition to these, some 40 or more 
 species which are not found in any other New Eng-r 
 land State. These 40 or more species, which are not 
 found to the eastward of Vermont, are mostly confined 
 to the western border of the State, and are, in general, 
 such as are common in the State of New York, and fur- 
 ther westward. As the botany of Vermont has yet been 
 only partially explored, there still being considerable 
 sections of the State which no skilful botanist has ever 
 visited, it is not unreasonable to suppose that many 
 new plants remain to stimulate and reward the labor 
 of future search. 
 
 While the laborers in Vermont, in the fields of 
 geology and botany, have been very few, those engag- 
 ed in the investigation of the zoology of the State have 
 been still fewer. The meagre account of our animals 
 contained in Dr. Williams' valuable history of Vermont, 
 until very recently embraced almost all that had ever 
 been published respecting them. But that work was 
 written at a veiy early period, when the subject of
 
 14 
 
 Natural History, in this country, was little understood, 
 and when an examination of the State, to which it 
 relates, had hardly been commenced. In that work, 
 (although the attempt to assign to our animals and veg- 
 tables their scientific names, was a failure,) he collected 
 together from the hunters and early settlers, much that 
 is valuable in relation to the magnitude, habits, &c., of 
 our larger animals, and saved from oblivion many facts 
 which are no where else preserved. 
 
 After the publication of Dr. Williams' history, the 
 last edition of which was issued more than 40 years 
 ago, nothing further was published respecting the 
 Natural History of the State, excepting a catalogue of 
 Vermont minerals by Prof. Frederick Hall, and a 
 catalogue of the plants of Middlebury and vicinity, by 
 Dr. Edwin James, previous, to the publication of my 
 Natural and Civil History of the State, in 1842. Hav- 
 ing, myself, devoted considerable attention to the 
 vertebrala of the State, and being kindly aided in the 
 department of botany by the late William Oakes, Esq., 
 of Ipswich, Mass., and in conchology by Prof. C. B. 
 Adams, then of Middlebury College, with occasional 
 assistance in other branches of zoology, kindly ren- 
 dered by members of this Society, I was enabled to 
 embrace in that work nearly all that was then known 
 of the Natural History of the State. Since the issue of 
 that work, much more has been done, and many facts 
 accumulated, which have not been made public, and 
 still the investigation of some branches of the Natural 
 History of Vermont is not yet commenced. 
 
 Quadrupeds and birds possess such facilities for loco- 
 motion, that they could not be expected in Vermont 
 to differ much from those of the neighboring States.
 
 15 
 
 The number of species of our native quadrupeds, 
 which have been carefully determined, is, at least, 45 ; 
 and of birds more than 160 species have been ascer- 
 tained. 
 
 Our largest native quadruped, the Moose, which 
 grew to the size of an Ox, and whose flesh furnished 
 to our early settlers an excellent substitute for beef, is 
 now, if not entirely exterminated, confined to a small 
 section in the northeast corner of the State. The 
 Beaver, whose skin was once an important article of 
 export, is wholly extirpated. The Panther, the Wolf, 
 the Wolverine, the Deer, the Bear in short, all the 
 larger species, have been gradually diminishing, and 
 most of the kinds have become exceedingly rare. The 
 native black Rat (Mus Americanus) has vanished, 
 but the immigrant gray Rat, (Mus decumanus) has r 
 in some parts of the State, usurped its place, and 
 has become a great nuisance. Yet it is a curious 
 fact that there is, in the north part of the State, an> 
 extensive region, which has been settled more thaa 
 half a century, in which, it is said, no rats were ever 
 seen. 
 
 In the birds of Vermont, considerable changes have 
 taken place, since the settlement of the country, in the 
 number of individuals of the same species, at different 
 periods ; and there have probably been also a with- 
 drawal of some species and the substitution of others, 
 Of some species, which abounded when the country 
 was new, an individual is now seldom, or never seen ; 
 while other species, which were then unknown, have 
 become exceedingly common. The American Cross- 
 bill, (Loxia curcirostria) and red-headed Woodpecker, 
 erythroephalus,) may be mentioned as exam-
 
 16 
 
 pies of the former, and the Cliff Swallow, (Hirundo 
 fulva : ) of the latter. Forty years ago, as I well remem- 
 ber, the red-headed Woodpecker was one of the most 
 common birds in our forests ; but it is now so rare 
 that, while I have travelled extensively over the State, 
 I have hardly seen half a dozen in the last 20 years. 
 On the other hand, I cannot learn that a Cliff Swallow 
 was ever seen in Vermont till about the year 1817 ; 
 but they now swarm in hundreds, about the eaves of 
 barns in various parts of the State. 
 
 While the species of the two higher classes of the 
 vertebrata of Vermont are, generally, the same as in 
 the other New England States, the case is quite differ- 
 ent with regard to the reptiles and fishes ; so much so, 
 that, in reference to these, the Western part of Ver- 
 mont clearly belongs to a different zoological district 
 from the eastern, and from the other parts of New 
 England. The dividing line between these districts is 
 along the summits of the Green Mountain range, which 
 separate the waters falling into Connecticut river from 
 those which are tributary to the St. Lawrence. The 
 reptiles and fishes found in Vermont to the eastward of 
 this line, are such as are common in other parts of 
 New England, while those found to the westward of 
 it, are generally different, corresponding, for the most 
 part, with the fauna of Western New York. Of the 
 reptiles found in the western part of Vermont, which 
 are not, so far as I am informed, found to the eastward 
 of the Green Mountains, may be mentioned the Emys 
 geographica, the Trionyx ferox, the Rana horiconcnses 
 and the Menobranchus maculatus. Our Eibbon SnakCj 
 if identical, as it probably is, with the Coluber Sauriter 
 of the eastern part of New England, often far exceeds
 
 17 
 
 in length the measurement of this species usually 
 given in books.* 
 
 But the fishes on the two sides of this dividing line 
 differ even more than the reptiles. The whole number 
 of species of Vermont fishes is about fifty. Of these, 
 more than forty species are pretty well determined ; 
 and of those determined, not more than four or five 
 are common to the two sides of the Green Mountains. 
 There are perhaps seven or eight species, which are 
 found on the east side of the mountains and not on the 
 west, and at least thirty species on the west side, 
 which are not found in any Vermont waters on the 
 east side ; and more than twenty of these thirty spe- 
 cies are not, so far as I am informed, found in any other 
 New England waters. Of these twenty or more spe- 
 cies not found to the southeastward of western Ver- 
 mont, six belong to the Perch family, four to the Sal- 
 mon family, three to the Herring family, two to the Pike 
 family, two or more to the Carp family, one Cottus, one 
 Corvina, one Catfish, one Eel, and one Sturgeon.t 
 
 * The largest individual which I have seen, of this species T I 
 found near Lonerock Point, in Burlington, in 1845. It had been 
 killed a short time before I found it, and about one half of the 
 tail had been broken off and was missing. The remainder meas- 
 ured 35 inches, and the body was a little more than one inch in 
 diameter. The tail in this species being about one third the total 
 length, the whole length of the individual measured, must have 
 been about 42 inches. This snake is quite common in the low 
 grounds about the mouths of rivers and streams in the vicinity of 
 Lake Champlain, but is never found upon the highlands, nor at 
 any considerable distance from the lake. 
 
 t The following are the species : Lucio-perca Americana, L. 
 grisea, Centrarchus fasciatus, C. jcneus, Etheostoma caprodes, 
 Percopsis pellucida, Salmo amcthystus, S. confinis, Coregonua 
 
 3
 
 18 
 
 The Mollusca of Vermont have, by the labors of 
 Prof. G. W. Benedict ajid Prof. C. B. Adams, been 
 pretty thoroughly examined, but hardly any attention 
 has been given to the other classes of our invertebrated 
 animals. There are, I believe, a few species of fresh 
 water Mollusks, in Lake Champlain, which have been 
 found nowhere else, and a considerable number of 
 species which are not found to the eastward of the 
 Green Mountains. One of these last, is the Limna3a 
 megasoma ; and the only known locality of this species 
 in Vermont is in Burlington, where they have some- 
 times been found plentifully in a few small creeks in 
 low stages of the water, but from which it is feared 
 they will soon be exterminated by the drying up of the 
 creeks, in consequence of their having become exposed 
 to the sun and winds by the removal of the forest trees 
 and shrubbery which protected them. 
 
 Having given this brief and imperfect sketch of the 
 present condition of natural histoiy in Vermont, I pro- 
 ceed to a few general remarks respecting the cultiva- 
 tion of natural history in countiy places. One very 
 important advantage for the cultivation of natural his- 
 tory in a new country, during its transformation from 
 dense and unbroken forests to cleared and cultivated 
 farms, arises from the opportunity it affords for observing 
 the original distribution of plants and animals, and not- 
 ing the manner in which that distribution is affected in 
 consequence of the changes wrought by human agency. 
 Even within the narrow limits of Vermont, the chan- 
 
 albus, C. artedi, Hyodon clodalus, Lepisosteus oxyurus, Amia 
 calva, Esox estor, E. nobilior, Catystomus cyprinus, Hydrargara 
 fusca, Cottus gobioides, Corvina ascula, Pimelodus nicricaus, An- 
 guilla vulgaris, and Acipenser rubicundus.
 
 19 
 
 ges in the distribution of the animals, since the settle- 
 ment of the State was commenced, have been of a 
 marked and decided character. These changes in the 
 two higher classes of the vertebrata, have already been 
 alluded to. They are equally great in the two lower 
 classes, particularly in the fishes. 
 
 When the first settlements were made in Vermont, 
 and for many years afterwards, the noble Salmon 
 (Salmo solar) abounded in Connecticut river and in 
 Lake Champlain, and in all their principal tributaries. 
 And where is it now 1 Not a solitary individual has, 
 to my knowledge, been observed in our waters for 
 many years. When the countiy was new, almost 
 every stream in the State literally swarmed with brook 
 trout (Salmo fontinalis). This was true in many 
 parts, even within my own recollection ; and in the 
 smaller streams among the mountains, this was almost 
 the only fish ever seen. But they have now nearly all 
 disappeared from the older parts of the State, and 
 their place is, irt some measure, occupied by a few 
 small and worthless species of Cyprinidse. The ponds 
 also abounded in trout, which, with those from the 
 streams, furnished an important part of the sustenance 
 of the early settlers. But these early settlers, not con- 
 tent with the natural distribution of our fishes, sought 
 to improve it by the introduction of the voracious pick- 
 erel into these trout ponds ; thus securing their aid in 
 the extermination of the delicious trout, and in depriv- 
 ing themselves of that rich boon which Providence had 
 provided for them ; and these pickerel were not slow 
 in performing the work of destruction. 
 
 In most new countries there are circumstances con- 
 nected with the origin of the streams, which greatly
 
 20 
 
 facilitate and extend the range of those species of rep- 
 tiles and fishes whose habitat is chiefly in spring's and 
 small brooks. Where the grounds are covered with 
 dense forests, which prevent evaporation from their 
 surface, and with logs and leaves, which prevent the 
 waters from passing quickly off into the streams, it is 
 quite common to find, not in level countries only, but 
 in mountainous regions, two, or more, streams originat- 
 ing from the same swamp, or pond, or fountain, and 
 running off in opposite directions, and through different 
 large rivers, to the ocean. Several cases of this kind 
 are well known to have existed among the Green 
 Mountains in Vermont, through which trout and other 
 small fishes, and reptiles, might pass without difficulty 
 from one side of the mountain to the other from the 
 tributaries of the Connecticut into the tributaries of 
 Lake Champlain, and vice versa. One of the most 
 remarkable of these was in Williamstown, near the 
 centre of the State. The lowest summit level between 
 Connecticut river and Lake Champlain is in that town, 
 in a considerable valley, extending nearly north and 
 south through what is called the height of land, and 
 is 908 feet above the level of the ocean. From the 
 eastern slope, which forms one side of this valley, and 
 directly against the summit level, there descended into 
 it a considerable trout stream; but just before this 
 stream reached the highest point in the bottom of the 
 valley, towards which it was tending, it divided itself 
 naturally into two nearly equal parts, one of which 
 flowed southward, through White river, into the Con- 
 necticut, and the other northward, through Winooski 
 river, into Lake Champlain ; thus opening to fishes of 
 considerable size an easy communication between the 
 two slopes of the Green Mountains.,
 
 21 
 
 The pickerel, not delighting- in the cold spring water 
 of the highland streams, appear never to have availed 
 themselves, as they probably might have done, of these 
 facilities for inter-communication ; for the species are 
 well known to have been originally unlike on the two 
 sides of the mountains the Esox reticulatus being 
 confined to the east side, and the Esox estor to the west 
 side. The estor, it is true, is now found in Connecticut 
 river, and is taken somewhat plentifully at Bellows 
 Falls; but it is equally true, that he found his way 
 there by human means, and in modern times.. Pickerel 
 were taken from the west side of the mountains and 
 placed in a pond, on the east side, in the south part of 
 Windsor county, whose outlet is a tributary of the Con- 
 necticut. From this pond they descended into the 
 Connecticut, where they have multiplied, and are now 
 often taken weighing several pounds. 
 
 The estor in the Connecticut is distinguished from 
 the indigenous pickerel by the vulgar name of Pike. 
 On the west side of the mountains it is everywhere 
 called the pickerel, or lake pickerel, by those who 
 are aware that it is a different species from the retic- 
 ulatus, or common pickerel of New England ; and 
 a fish of the perch family, the American pike perch 
 (JLucio-perca americana) is there generally understood 
 by the vulgar name of pike. 
 
 In comparing specimens of the E. estor from Con- 
 necticut river with those from Lake Champlain, it has 
 appeared to me that there is a perceptible difference in 
 their general form and aspect, while at the same time 
 they are known to be identical in species. A like gen- 
 eral difference is observable in the E. reticulatus from 
 different ponds, and also in the brook trout and some
 
 22 
 
 other species of fishes ; and this difference is often so 
 marked, that people in the country, who are familiar 
 with several localities, profess to be able to designate 
 the locality from which specimens were derived, from 
 the general aspect of the fish. These facts plainly 
 show that very considerable variety may be produced 
 in a species by local circumstances; and since the 
 variation may often be so increased by accidental pecu- 
 liarities in the individuals, which are the progenitors of 
 the species in the new locality, it has appeared to me 
 that naturalists should be more cautious than they 
 seem sometimes to have been, in founding new spe- 
 cies upon variations, which might be supposed to have 
 arisen, in any way, from individual peculiarities, change 
 of habit, or local circumstances, or from all these causes 
 combined. But this is a subject upon which, perhaps, 
 on account of the limited sphere of my observations 
 and knowledge, it is not becoming in me to express an 
 opinion. 
 
 Another very important advantage afforded by the 
 country for the cultivation of natural history, consists 
 in the opportunity which the country furnishes for 
 observing the various productions in their natural rela- 
 tions to their localities. Plants may be studied by the 
 aid of books, and drawings, and herbals, and botanic 
 gardens ; but how imperfect must be the knowledge 
 acquired by the help of all these, without the advan- 
 tage of observing their growth in their native soil in 
 the localities where they were planted and reared by 
 their Creator's hand ! And so too of the various tribes 
 of animated beings. They may be studied in books, 
 and museums, and menageries, to very little purpose, 
 unless they are also studied in the natural conditions,
 
 23 
 
 and elements, and relations, in which the God of 
 nature placed them. These last it is which constitute 
 the most interesting, instructive, and important part of 
 their study. 
 
 Another advantage for the study of natural history 
 possessed by those who reside constantly in the coun- 
 try, arises from the opportunity furnished for observing 
 the various indigenous productions through all the sea- 
 sons of the year, and through all their periods and sta- 
 ges of growth and decay. The natural history of veg- 
 etables can be well understood only by observing the 
 soil, the seed, the germination, the growth, the leaves, 
 the flowers, the fruits, the structure and the decay ; and 
 the study of these requires their constant presence and 
 a continuous series of observations. Arid the same is 
 true of the animal kingdom, and especially of the ani- 
 mals of the lower order. What could we learn of the 
 natural history of an insect by observing it in only one 
 of the stages of its existence ? To obtain a knowl- 
 edge of its history, it must be studied in all its stages. 
 The egg, the larva, the pupa and the imago, all these 
 their developement, growth, food and habitat, from 
 stage to stage ; all these must be carefully observed, 
 in order that' its complete history be understood. And 
 what class of men is so favorably situated for making 
 these observations as our agriculturists our farmers 
 who reside in the country, and spend a large propor- 
 tion of their time in the fields, and in places where 
 these various processes and metamorphoses are con- 
 stantly going on before their eyes '? 
 
 Such are the advantages which country places offer, 
 and which those who reside in the country might enjoy ; 
 but we find them almost universally unheeded. The
 
 24 
 
 varied and beautiful operations of nature are constantly 
 going 1 on ; but they are almost unobserved and unknown 
 by the thousands in whose immediate presence they 
 are occurring, and to whom they might become not 
 only the source of rational and enduring pleasure, but 
 of high intellectual and moral improvement. It may 
 not, therefore, be amiss to advert briefly to the causes 
 of this indifference and apparent neglect of these 
 advantages. The chief causes of the general indiffer- 
 ence to the subject of natural history in country places, 
 and to the beauties and harmonies of the material 
 world, as it appears to me, lie in the defects of early 
 education, and the want of suitable books and instru- 
 mentalities for the successful practical cultivation of the 
 natural sciences. 
 
 It is well known that all children are interested and 
 delighted with the objects of natural history ; and 
 hence it is that parents resort to the representatives of 
 these objects to pictures of beasts and birds, and 
 fishes and flowers, as the most convenient and effec- 
 tual means of pacifying and amusing their children. 
 And is it not reasonable to conclude, that this disposi- 
 tion to be interested and pleased with the productions 
 of nature, which is thus manifested in early infancy, 
 would, if properly cultivated and encouraged, increase 
 with their increase of years, and be to them, through 
 the whole course of their lives, an increasing and ever- 
 flowing fountain of rational pleasure and improvement ? 
 Not that they would all become expert scientific natu- 
 ralists, but they would all become such careful and 
 philosophical observers of nature, as to be able to 
 understand and admire its order, and beauty, and har- 
 mony, and to trace therein the power, and wisdom, 
 and goodness of its Divine Author.
 
 25 
 
 But has there been anything done, any measures 
 taken, to encourage and perpetuate, through childhood 
 and youth and up to manhood, that taste and fondness 
 for natural history which are so universally developed 
 in infancy ? On the contrary, the general course of the 
 training of children in school has hitherto been such as 
 was calculated to obliterate, or suppress, this taste 
 such as was calculated, practically, to impress upon 
 their minds the notion, that those natural objects which 
 had made them so happy in infancy, were the mere 
 toys of that early period, which were unworthy to 
 engage their attention, or be remembered in the more 
 advanced periods of childhood and youth. To spell 
 words without knowing their meaning, to read senten- 
 ces with fluency, without understanding them, to recite 
 the geography of the countries of the world, while their 
 thoughts ranged no farther than the maps before them 
 exercises like these have usually absorbed nearly 
 the whole time of children in the school-room, and, 
 practically, deprived them of the means and motives 
 for understanding, appreciating, and enjoying what is 
 real, and valuable, and beautiful in the productions of 
 the natural world around them. 
 
 But it is hoped that, in this respect, a better day is 
 now dawning upon our country, and that the time is 
 not far distant, when instruction in natural history shall 
 occupy its true place, and receive its due share of at- 
 tention in all our schools and seminaries of learning. 
 The facilities for illustrating this branch of knowledge 
 are abundant and available in every neighborhood ; 
 and let the pupils in our schools be encouraged in col- 
 lecting them, and aided in examining and understand- 
 ing them, and they will at length acquire such habits 
 4
 
 26 
 
 of careful observation and discrimination, as will be of 
 incalculable service to them in after life. As their 
 knowledge of the objects and phenomena of nature 
 increases, there will be a constant increase of the pleas- 
 ure of observing- its variety, and beauty, and harmony ; 
 and they will, in time, become so thoroughly imbued with 
 the spirit of the 'naturalist, that they will go forth from 
 the school-room to their rural occupations, prepared to 
 derive enjoyments from them, which none but the stu- 
 dent of nature can know. Although very few of them 
 may be expected to become familiar with the minute 
 details of natural history, yet they will all have acquired 
 such tastes and habits, and so much knowledge, as will 
 make them always interested and delighted with ob- 
 jects, and aspects, and operations of nature around 
 them. When they go forth into the field with the 
 plough, the hoe, the sickle, or the scythe, where the 
 ordinary laborer is cheered onward by no other motive, 
 or object, than pecuniary gain the hope of well-filled 
 barns, and granaries, and cellars they, in addition to 
 these more sordid motives, will be animated, delighted 
 and more amply rewarded by observing the manifold 
 workings of that beneficent Providence, which so liber- 
 ally rewards them for all their toil. The observance of 
 the genial influence of sun and rains the process of 
 vegetation through all its stages of growth and decay 
 the transformations, and changes, and habits of insects, 
 and other animals, and their relations to the business 
 and interests of the farmer in short, the enlightened 
 contemplation and study of the countless variety of the 
 Creator's works, are constantly leading them to rejoice 
 in the contemplation of the infinite wisdom and good- 
 ness of the Almighty Creator.
 
 Notwithstanding the prevailing general indifference 
 to the subject of natural history in country places, this 
 indifference is by no means universal. Many there are, 
 in various parts of the country, who, in spite of educa- 
 tion, (or the want of it,) delight in watching and tracing 
 the various operations of nature, and who have acquired 
 by their own individual observations, a large amount of 
 knowledge of the productions and objects around 
 them ; but who for the want of instruction, and books, 
 and specimens, are, for the most part, unable, success- 
 fully, to push forward their labors, or so to arrange 
 their results, as to make them serviceable to others. 
 And yet I have known persons in the backwoods of 
 Vermont, while wholly unacquainted with natural his- 
 tory as a science, acquire by their personal attention 
 and observation, so much knowledge of the habits of 
 insects, and birds, and other animals of their neighbor- 
 hood, as to be able to furnish to the naturalist positive 
 and valuable additions to science. And even some of 
 our uninstructed housewives, by their habits of careful 
 discrimination in the process of cooking, obtain so 
 accurate a knowledge of various animals used for food, 
 as might sometimes enable them to put the professed 
 comparative anatomist to the blush for his ignorance. 
 
 I have spoken of the exclusion of natural history 
 from our schools as the great cause of the general 
 apathy and indifference to that subject in country places. 
 The same cause is, perhaps, equally operative in towns 
 and cities ; but these latter possess, in their easy access 
 to large libraries and cabinets, and in their wider range 
 and greater facilities for the collection of specimens 
 through the avenues of commerce, advantages of which 
 they, who may desire to cultivate natural history in the 
 country, are entirely deprived.
 
 28 
 
 The great obstacles in the way of the cultivation of 
 the natural sciences in the country, where there is a 
 disposition to do it, are the want of suitable books and 
 collections, and the want of time to use them. The 
 people of Vermont are mostly agriculturists, who culti- 
 vate their farms with their own hands, and who depend 
 upon the productions of the soil for their subsistence ; 
 and being 1 thus obliged, " in the sweat of their brow 
 to eat their bread," they have very little time to spare 
 for any other pursuit. Even if good public libraries 
 and collections were at hand, very few could find leis- 
 ure from their necessary occupations, for the researches, 
 among 1 a multiplicity of books, which would be required 
 in the successful prosecution of any one department of 
 natural history. But of libraries and collections of nat- 
 ural history there have hitherto been none in Vermont 
 which deserve the name, and for the want of them, 
 many a tyro, who had entered with ardor upon some 
 favorite branch of natural history, has become discour- 
 aged and obliged to relinquish the pursuit in despair. 
 Ten years ago, a respectable library for the use of a 
 naturalist could not have been culled from all the pub- 
 lic and private libraries and all the bookstores in Ver- 
 mont ; and although there has been, since that time, 
 great improvement in this respect, the deficiency of 
 works on natural history, in our public libraries, is still 
 very great.* 
 
 * It is not to be inferred from these remarks, that we have no 
 good public libraries in Vermont. The remarks have been made 
 with particular reference to deficiencies in the department of Nat- 
 ural History. The library of the University of Vermont, though 
 numbering only about 8,000 volumes, is, perhaps, one of the best
 
 29 
 
 In the illustration of this matter, I must beg 1 the 
 indulgence of the Society with a little of my own expe- 
 rience. I will confine myself to the department of 
 ichthyology ; but it was nearly the same in all the 
 other departments. 
 
 When I first turned my attention to the ichthyology 
 of Vermont, the only scientific work on fishes within 
 my reach, was Dr. Mitchell's paper on the fishes of 
 New York, contained in the first volume of the Trans- 
 actions of the New York Philosophical Society. With 
 that work only for my guide, I labored long* and hard 
 to determine the species of fishes inhabiting- the waters 
 of Vermont, and with how little success I labored, 
 they who are acquainted with that work need not to be 
 informed. At length, through the kindness of my 
 friend, the Hon. G. P. Marsh, now United States Min- 
 ister at Constantinople, I was presented with the third 
 volume of Dr. Richardson's Fauna Boreali Americana ; 
 and about the same time, my friend, Dr. D. H. Storer, 
 presented me with a copy of his excellent Report on 
 the Fishes of Massachusetts. Subsequently, I have ob- 
 tained Dr. DeKay's Report on the Fishes of New York, 
 and some few other works, and have had access to por- 
 tions of the Journals of this Society, and of the New 
 York Lyceum of Natural Histoiy, and of the Academy 
 of Natural History at Philadelphia ; but, till within the 
 past year, I have not had the benefit of a single speci- 
 men from abroad to aid me by way of comparison. 
 
 Experiencing so many difficulties myself, and know- 
 ing others to be laboring under like embarrassments, I 
 
 selected libraries, in reference to general literature, to be found in 
 the country, and is, probably, more valuable than many public 
 libraries which contain twice the number of volumes.
 
 30 
 
 reflected much upon the possibility of a remedy for 
 them. I saw at once that adequate private or public 
 libraries could not be had in the country on account of 
 their great expense ; and that, if they existed, very 
 few, in an agricultural community, could spare the 
 time which would be requisite to consult them, to any 
 profit, on matters of practical natural history, in the 
 present diffused and scattered condition of the materi- 
 als of that science. I also perceived that the new dis- 
 coveries in the natural sciences were promulgated 
 through so great a variety of publications, as to render 
 it utterly impossible for a person engaged in the culti- 
 vation of natural history in the country to keep himself 
 informed of the progress of discovery in any particular 
 branch of the science. 
 
 Under these circumstances, the best remedy for the 
 evils I have mentioned, which presented itself to my 
 imind, was the formation of a national natural history 
 society, of which all the societies of natural history in 
 Xhe country should be auxiliaries. An important part 
 -of the business of this society should be the publication 
 .of full and accurate manuals of the different depart- 
 ments of natural history, in which all the materials of 
 ieach should be posted up and arranged in their proper 
 order ; and, after that, the preparation and publication, 
 from time to time, of journals of the progress of science 
 in its several departments, compiled from the papers 
 and doings of the auxiliary societies, and other authen- 
 tic sources. Manifold, as it appeared to me, would be 
 the advantages of such a plan. It would enable the 
 smaller societies, which have not the means of publish- 
 ing their proceedings, to make known to the world all 
 the valuable results of their labors. It would bring
 
 31 
 
 together, in order, all that is now known in each 
 department of natural history, and it would furnish a 
 ready and cheap means of keeping pace with the pro- 
 gress of discovery. Being calculated for general circu- 
 lation, large editions would be required, by which the 
 cost would be so much diminished as to bring them 
 within the reach of all who might be inclined to use 
 them. 
 
 For persons who can devote but little tjme to the 
 subject of natural history, such manuals and journals, 
 with such collateral helps as could easily be obtained, 
 would be much more serviceable than large libraries- 
 without them. They would be always at hand, fur- 
 nishing a systematic view of the whole science ; andi 
 they might be consulted during the respites from labor,, 
 for information respecting the objects which had fallen 
 under their observation in the field. 
 
 While revolving in my mind the plan I have faintly 
 sketched, with scarcely any hope that it would ever be- 
 realized, I was much gratified to learn, about three- 
 years ago, that the Smithsonian Institution at Wash- 
 ington was making arrangements for the publication of 
 reports of the progress of science, almost precisely o 
 the plan which had suggested itself to me. I was 
 gratified, because I knew the Institution possessed the 
 means, and, I presumed, the disposition also, to furnish 
 these reports at so cheap a rate as to place them 
 within the reach of eveiy tyro in natural history in the 
 country. Let this Institution publish manuals also, in 
 which all the important facts in the several branches 
 of natural history are carefully posted up to- the com- 
 mencement of the reports, and let these, too, be fur- 
 nished cheaply to all who will use them ; and, if I am.
 
 32 
 
 not greatly mistaken, the Institution would in that way 
 do very much " for the increase and diffusion of knowl- 
 edge among men," and would thus effectually aid in 
 accomplishing the benevolent objects of its founder. 
 
 I feel, gentlemen, that I have trespassed too long 
 upon your kind indulgence, and wearied you with details 
 in which you can have felt but little interest ; and yet, 
 I have dwelt upon few of the many advantages which 
 would result from a more general diffusion of the 
 knowledge of Natural History through the country, 
 and from a more general spirit of inquiry on the sub- 
 ject. Much might be said of the cultivation of Natural 
 History as a source of individual enjoyment. Paradox- 
 ical as it may seem, it enables us to lead a life of pleas- 
 ure, while we are at the same time pursuing a life of 
 business. It refines and improves our moral sensibili- 
 ties, and sharpens and invigorates our intellectual 
 powers. It promotes health of body, by inducing hab- 
 its of cheerfulness and serenity of mind. It enlarges 
 our views of the Divine power, and wisdom, and 
 goodness, and awakens continual gratitude to God for 
 the rich provision he has made for our support and 
 happiness here, and for training and fitting us for that 
 new earth, which we hope to inhabit hereafter.
 
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