In the disposition of interior parks the main consideration should be, first, to distribute the areas about the city as evenly as possible, so as to make large parks readily accessible to all citizens; and secondly, to select for improvement those localities which have the greatest charm and value as park lands. Happily nature has furnished the opportunity to combine both considerations. The wooded bluffs and ravines at the northern boundary of Cook County in Glencoe mark a natural park entrance from Lake Michigan. The virgin forest known as the Peterson woods, south of Peterson Avenue, the Gibbs woods, north of Gibbs Street, a beautiful spot on the Chicago River south of Central Avenue, are especially attractive features of this stretch. In spring the bloom of the thorn, the crab-apple, and the wild plum are features of the landscape; the ground is everywhere carpeted with flowers; there are forests of elm, oak, ash, willow, and cottonwood; and the Skokee marsh in beauty vies with the Lake itself. At a distance of a mile inland the valley of the North Branch of the Chicago River is reached. In this valley the views are particularly beautiful, especially where the stretches are unbroken by constructions of any kind. To the north the valley stretches far beyond the county line; to the south it is framed on both sides with forest lands. In the region of Central Avenue these forest lines spread, taking in the grounds of the Glenview Golf Club, closing again between Kenilworth and Bryn Mawr avenues, where the foliage closely follows the banks of the River. The area which should be taken for this particular northern park includes upwards of eight thousand acres, and at the present time the land can be had at comparatively small expense. [Illustration: LVIII. VERSAILLES, FRANCE. VIEW FROM THE TERRACE, LOOKING DOWN THE MAIN AXIS.] The opportunity for a park area entirely surrounding the city is to be found in the extension of the Lake entrance at Glencoe westward until it reaches the valley of the Des Plaines; thence the park stretch would extend south along that valley to Riverside, and, taking in the valleys of Salt and Flag creeks, still southerly to the Drainage Canal. Turning to the east, the line would extend along the Calumet Feeder, Stony Creek, and Little Calumet River to and including Lake Calumet, and thence to the Lake front. [Illustration: LIX. PARIS. VIEW OF THE SUNKEN GARDEN IN THE LUXEMBOURG GARDENS.] [Illustration: LX. ST. GERMAIN, FRANCE. VIEW OF AN AVENUE IN THE FOREST AND ROUND-POINT. This avenue crosses above a railroad.]