H4 



THE GUIDE TO NATURE. 



and you go home drenched through and 

 through by a salty shower. 



The monotony of a dull day hung low 

 with gray fogs tempts you inside to ex- 

 plore that wonderful marine laboratory 

 on Alligator's Head where the specimens 

 are preserved alive. In the numerous 

 tanks and jars filled with sea water you 



THE CAVES WITH DEEE MARINE 

 GARDENS AT ONE SIDE. 



find a complete collection of the sea life, 

 rare and common, of the whole south- 

 western shore ; and at closer range you 

 may observe the rarer and shver speci- 

 mens that eluded you in their native 

 habitat. You may watch a tiny shark 

 emerging from his queer ungainly spiral 

 shell, wonder at the sea anemones curling 

 their daintily tinted fingers voraciously 

 around whatever prey you may offer 

 them and laugh at the starfishes wrig- 

 gling into humpy and ungainly stars. 



On the days when the lure of the sea 

 is less compelling, you turn your face 

 landward to the open sunny mesas that 

 lie beyond Mount Soledad. The most 

 traveled road across this sea of sage- 

 brush and low desert herbage is the road 

 to the Torrey pines. In this rugged and 

 picturesque natural park lie scattered in 

 groups or singly some two or three hun- 

 dred trees of all sizes and ages. They 

 present a most interesting commentary 

 on the strenuous struggle for existence. 

 ( )n the seaward side they form dense 

 mats which creep and crawl persistently 

 Up the rocky washes until they reach 

 the crest of the mesa. On the sides of 

 sheltered ravines slightly protected from 

 the remorseless buffeting of wind and 

 weather they assume their characteristic 

 form — sturdy, clean and upright. 



Scientists from all parts of the world 

 have visited this remarkable grove and 

 many a conjecture has been offered as 

 to their probable origin, but these non- 

 committal pines guard well their myster- 

 ious secret. This is the only locality in 

 the world where they occur. They were 

 named shortly after their discovery in 

 1850 in honor of our famous naturalist, 

 Professor John Torrey. 



] f you are a fearless driver you may 

 guide your horse down the steep grade 

 which pitches abruotb? from the Point of 

 Pines. At the foot of this hill you may 

 enter again the new automobile boule- 

 vard which extends from San Diego to 

 Del Mar, or you may drop down lower 

 still, if the tide is going out, to the nat- 

 ural boulevard which follows the chang- 

 ing line of advancing and 

 waves for over ten miles. 

 turns ever seaward away from the mo- 

 notony of the high, brown, seamed cliffs 

 whose soft surfaces are worn into fan- 

 tastic shapes by the turbulent erosions 



retreating 

 Your gaze 



