A RMDWOOD SPORJ 233 



ent from the one described by Peirce. The locality where I 

 found the redwood sport was the valley through which runs 

 the Big Sur river. It is approximately ^^ miles south of 

 Carmel-by-the-sea, and is said to be about 70 miles north 

 of the southern limit of extension of the redwoods. Here 

 the redwoods do not cover the mountain sides and extend 

 to their summits as in the Santa Cruz mountains further 

 north, but are confined to the gulches, or vallies which open 

 on the sea. In such surroundings, which appear to be per- 

 fectly congenial to the tree, as on the Big Sur, it occasionally 

 attains large proportions. Such of the large trees as have 

 escaped the woodsman's axe, and their descendants, which 

 form the titantic "fairy rings" characteristic of the redwood 

 forests, make beautiful the precipitous sides of the gulches 

 or banks of the swiftly coursing mountain stream. It was 

 in the midst of such a forest that the white redwood was 

 found. The redwood was a thicket of white, but living, 

 young tree-like sprouts. As the thicket, which was over- 

 topped by towering reciwood trees, w-as examined, it resolved 

 itself into a centrally placed redwood stump, from the base 

 and roots of which sprang suckers. The stump was a large 

 one and from its decayed appearance suggested that the tree 

 must have been felled at least one decade, probably more, 

 ago. The sprouts were about two meters in height and num- 

 bered more than eighteen. Each bore short branches of about 

 equal length which were so closely pressed together along the 

 central stem as to give almost the appearance ol^ the "hexen- 

 besen" of common occurrence. The leaves cf the present 

 season, which are partly formed only, and those of the past 

 season, together with the twigs of both seasons, were white. 

 7 he remainder of the plant was brown. The leaves do not 

 survive longer than the second season. From this it will 

 appear that only the tip of the stem, and the ends of the 

 main branches bear the white leaves. 



A cursory examination of this ghostly thicket showed 

 that the suckers were of the same age, or nearly of the same 



