RAMBLES OF RICHARD ROVER. You ask what curious animals I saw squirrels, and much more so. They in the Southern States. Now I suppose your geography would tell you about their beasts, and birds, and fishes, and reptiles, much better than I can. Do you say, you only want to have me tell you about such as I saw? Well; that I can do, in very few words. My rambles were chiefly in the low country, where the animals are much fewer than in the upper country. I saw a few deer; but they were usually in some park or enclosure, partly domesticated. As I approached the park, they would run from me with great swiftness. Some of them had a little bell fastened to their necks. One day, in Norfolk, I saw an opossum. It is a dirty looking little animal, slightly resembling, except in regard to its false belly, our wood-chuck. The opossum is, I believe, very common in the southern states. In passing through the woods, I saw great numbers of red, and gray, and fox squirrels. The two last were exceedingly large and tame. They seemed as tame as the striped squirrel of the north; and I think more so. The fox squirrel is exceedingly large, sprightly, and beautiful. I wonder how men and boys can have the heart to hunt and destroy these beautiful animals! Occasionally, too, in passing along in lonely, woody places, I saw hogs, in considerable numbers, as wild as the live in the woods and feed on acorns, chinkapins, &c. The people often shoot them down for food, as they do other wild animals. Their flesh, though far from being the most wholesome kind of meat in the world, is yet more wholesome than the flesh of the same animals when fattened. Mules are much used as beasts of burden and draught, in some parts of the southern states, especially in South Carolina. They are very tough, laborious, and serviceable. They will live on the coarsest fare. The only strange bird I saw which particularly attracted my attention was the turkey buzzard. This bird has already been described, I believe, either in this Magazine, or in the Juvenile Rambler. I need only say that it has a slight resemblance to the crow, but is more filthy in its habits as well as more fearless of man. As to the fishes and reptiles, I know very little about them. I saw one sort of lizards, very small, but very active. They were of a light-brown colour, and when running along among the dry leaves or dry grass, could hardly be distinguished. I ate several kinds of fish, different from ours at the north; but I have forgotten their names. This reminds me, too, of some meat which I saw in a market, at Winnsborough, in South Carolina. It was bear's NOTES OF A RAMBLER. NIAGARA FALLS. I TOLD you, in the last number of the Magazine, about my visit to Niagara Falls. I have since that time procured a map of the country around the Falls, with the names of most of the places which I visited marked on it. You will find the road from Lockport to the Falls, the village of the Tuscarora Indians, Lewiston, the village of Niagara Falls, the Falls, in two divisions, one on each side of Goat Island, and the island itself. I think you will also find on it, nearly every place which I shall mention in giving a farther account of my visit to the Falls and my rambles around them. I will now proceed with my story, beginning where I left off in the last number. In the afternoon, we set out for the Canada side of the Falls. Proceeding along the shore of the rapids to the north-eastern extremity of the American division of the Falls, we came to a staircase leading down the bank to a ferry just below the foot of the Falls. The stair-case is a long one. At its bottom we found a ferry boat, and in company with two other travellers we proceeded to cross. The Niagara here is about 60 rods wide, and very deep. It foams a little, but the voyage is perfectly safe. In crossing, you have one of the finest views of the whole Falls on both sides of Goat Island. No one ought to visit the place without crossing at this Ferry. On reaching the Canada side, we ascended the bank by a winding road, towards the "Clifton House," a fine new tavern; not far from which there is also another tavern, the Ontario House. In going up the hill we fell in with a gentleman, who carries travellers to the various points and objects of curiosity in that region. At our request, he took us to Drummondsville, or, as it was once called, Lundy's Lane, about a mile from the river, where was fought, above twenty years ago, the famous battle of Bridgewater-between the British and Americans—and a bloody battle it was too. We saw holes in some of the houses said to have been made by balls from the cannon. From Drummondsville, we went a mile or more southward, along the road to Buffalo, till we came in sight of Chippewa. There, also, a great battle was once fought. Then we turned off from the road and visited a Burning Spring, near the margin of the Niagara river. It is constantly boiling up, is dark colored and full of sulphur; and from it issues a great deal of sulphuretted hydrogen gas, which on being touched with a candle, burns for some time with a bright flame. This gas might, I suppose, be used to light up towns and cities were there any near; just as Boston and other places are lighted by gas artificially prepared. Some of the people around here, as 342 A VISIT TO NIAGARA FALLS. well as elsewhere, are very superstitious. that there is no danger; and so do we older people, after having escaped the arrows of death thickly flying all our lives long, begin to think there is no. danger; or else to think nothing about it. But do our wrong thoughts or our want of thought, lessen at all our exposure? One man told us that the water of this spring was very healthy. He said there were very many persons around the spring who were almost a hundred years old; and that if people would drink the water, they would never be sick. He did not tell us whether those who drank it would ever die or not! Returning from the mineral spring we stopped at the City of the Falls, as it is called, which, by the way, we had passed through in going to the spring. Here, after stopping a few moments at the Pavilion, an elegant public house, we left the carriage and proceeded by winding steps down the bank to the Table Rock, our driver still accompanying us. He led us on to the verge of the rock, and the whole Horse-shoe Fall was at once before us, and very near. After gazing a few moments and being about to retire, we were shown a large crevice in the rock, a considerable distance from its edge, the thought of which, even now, makes me shudder. The rock itself here shelves over the deep gulf 160 feet below it, and this upper shelving part is cracking off. In a few years, at most, it will fall; and wo to those, if any there be, who are then standing on it. We saw also another portion of precipice, in another place, cracking off in the same manner. The people who live about here say there is no danger at these places. But so does a soldier, who has been long in the thick battle, begin to think, at last, Near Table Rock is another spiral staircase, like Biddle's, which we also descended. At the bottom of it, is a foot path which leads you along under Table Rock to the Horse-shoe Fall. You may also pass quite behind the sheet of water, if you choose to go there. Those who wish to go into this dark cavern provide themselves with an india rubber cloth dress at a house of refreshment at the top of the stair-case; and then with the help of a guide pass under. It is rather dark and the wind seems to blow with great violence; but if you follow the directions of the guide, exactly, I suppose there is not much danger. However, as there is no good obtained by going under and being in the damp cold air so long, I did not choose to undertake the journey. At the house of refreshment at the top of the stairs, books are kept in which most travellers write their names; and those who choose make remarks. There are also albums there, in which they who please may write little essays or poetry. You will see many a silly scrawl, and many a foolish scrap of poetry there, with a few sensible things among the rest. You may also find the |