Although this forest once covered from twelve to fourteen hundred acres, most of it has been cleared, and, except for a few inconsiderable portions, the " Saxton Forest " remains only in name. Bolton, in his history of the county, says : " The most prominent features of Scarsdale, however, are the extensive tracts of woodland which completely cover its wild and romantic hills on the west, displaying themselves to great advantage from every part of the surrounding country. The Saxton Forest, which forms a large portion of this woody district, abounds with foxes, rabbits and other wild game, and retains much of its ancient grandeur." This description, however, is incorrect, for although the eastern bank of the Bronx is, wooded almost continuously throughout its course along the border of the town, these portions of woodland never formed part of the Saxton Forest, which was on the far eastern side of the town. The brooks were formerly well stocked with trout and small fish, and the woods abounded in game,-- the name " Fox Meadows " apparently having been given from the abundance of these animals, -- but now there are few fishes in the streams and only an occasional rabbit or quail in the woods.

H58

HISTORY OF WESTCHESTER COUNTY.

The Bronx, though unaavigable, was formerly a stream of some magnitude, furnishing water-power for a saw and grist-mill, which stood from before the days of the Revolution until the Rebellion near Scarsdale Station, but now fully one-half of the volume of water has been diverted to the new aqueduct or pipe-line which skirts the town on the Greenburgh bank of the river, contributing to the water supply of the city of New York. The general character of the soil of the town is light and sandy loam, but in former years there were many acres of swamp and marsh, most of which has now been drained and imj^roved, hirnishing large tracts of rich black loam.