This is true of the majority of the names of our hills, and Professor Edward Hitchcock, in commenting on their uncouthness, concluded his disapproval with a pun worth preserving, by saying, “Fortunately there are some summits in the State yet unnamed.  It is to be hoped that men of taste will see to it that neither Tom, nor Toby, nor Bears, nor Rattlesnakes, nor Sugar Loaves shall be Saddled upon them.”  The highest point of this great mass is appropriately named Greylock on account of its hoary appearance in winter.  As the cold increases the line of frostwork creeps down the sides, producing fantastic changes in the aspect of the hill.  Saddle Mountain lies near Williamstown and is between the Hoosac and Taconic ranges.  It is insulated, being almost entirely surrounded by valleys, and forms a very imposing object in the scenery of that region.  It consists essentially of three distinct ridges, separated by two valleys, called respectively the Hopper and the Bellows.  Greylock is the middle ridge, and from its lofty summit a grand view can be obtained, and it is much frequented by sight-seers during the summer.  To the west is seen the beautiful valley in which nestles Williamstown, with its fine college grounds and buildings, and beyond rises the slope of the Taconic range, stretching from north to south in an almost continuous chain, while to the north-west are the lofty hills beyond the Hudson.  The thriving town of North Adams lies in an adjacent valley to the east, and beyond is the Hoosac range.  Looking towards the north or south one sees ridge after ridge, rising in constant succession, until the peaks vanish in the distant horizon.  It is indeed a sublime sight, and may well inspire feelings of deepest reverence for the Power that controls those mighty forces that produced these everlasting hills.

Though loth to leave this grand pinnacle, we must not tarry longer upon Greylock.  Let us now take a trip down the Housatonic valley, close beside the Taconic range.  This forms an almost continuous ridge across the State, and its summit is nearly upon the line between our State and New York.  There are no peaks of consequence until we get south of Pittsfield.  The range is bold and precipitous on its western side, and fine views may be obtained from almost any part of the ridge.  The highest point of the old stage road between Pittsfield and Albany affords a good prospect, though a view from an old road between Hancock and Lanesboro is perhaps more striking.  On either side are the valleys of the Hudson and Housatonic, the cities of Albany and Pittsfield, the distant Catskills and the Hoosac range.  A little south of Pittsfield is a spur from the Taconic range, parting from it at Egremont.  The various portions have received different names—­the northern being called Lenox Mountain, the middle Stockbridge Mountain, and the southern Tom Ball.  The last named is the highest part of the spur, and is located in the township of Alford.  The view from Tom Ball is very fine.  A perfect panorama of hills, with handsome towns and villages nestling in the valleys, is spread out before the eyes, while the southern horizon is filled by the giant piles in the township of Mount Washington.