MORE ABOUT RIVERS.
Let us have another chat about the river. We may fancy that we are following it in its course to the sea. We shall then learn for ourselves many things we do not know about rivers.
We will begin our journey at its source. Here it is a little rill, formed by water that trickles from a spring, or by the melting of snow.
As it flows on, it is joined by many other little streams, until it grows to be much larger.
There is a large word used for a stream that feeds another stream. Do you know what it is? The word, is tributary. Tributaries are often called branches.
Before we leave this part of the river, I wish you to learn another hard word.
You have seen the water run off the roof of a shed. The ridge; or highest part of the roof, divides the rain that falls on it, so that part of the rain flows down the one side, and part of it flows down the other side.
| HILLS SEND OFF STREAMS ON BOTH SIDES. |
Now, hills, like the roof of a house, send off streams on both sides. When it rains, or the snow melts, some of the water goes down on one side, some on the other. And that is why the hills which divide or part the waters of streams are called a water-parting or water-shed.
Let us now go further down the stream.