ON THE MOUNTAIN TOP. I 35 



columbine, Aqnilegia cccnilca, a beautiful and showy plant which 

 begins to blossom along the foot-hills in May and reaches the 

 alpine districts in August; Hcuchcra parvifoUa. another plant 

 which grows from the foot-hills to alpine heights ; Mcrtcnsia 

 Parryi, a species recently described by Dr. Rydberg, and Ribcs 

 parviflora. Growing on the western ledge was the somewhat 

 rare cinque-foil, Potciitilla ituiHora. It had been growing here 

 some time, for the decumbent stems were quite long and their 

 bases covered with dead leaves. It trails close to the rocks, and 

 the flowers are large for the size of the plant. Sheltered by 

 boulders under which one must look to find it was the colum- 

 bine. Aqiiilcgia saximoniajia. and a little farther down among 

 boulders was Angelica Grayi — a plant which for some time was 

 called ArchangcUca Ginclliii. then described by Drs. Coulter and 

 Rose with some assurance as Scliniuii Grayi, and again by them 

 transferred to Angelica, where it now stands. Growing in the 

 more open were such plants as the thistle, Carduus scopnlonim; 

 Polcnioninui confertum mclitiDU, the large flowers varying from 

 deep to light blue ; the dwarf alpine form of the whitlow-grass, 

 Draha strcptocarpa; the alpine form of Clia)n<riicrioii aiigusti- 

 foliiim. and Solidago dccnmhcns. Here too was Achillea mille- 

 foliuDi, the common yarrow, which grows from the sea level to 

 the alpine districts. 



These high mountains have a fauna as well as a flora. I 

 noticed some alpine butterflies flitting about ; there were a few 

 birds of the sparrow family ; the little chief hare, of which a 

 glimpse could scarcely be seen, makes its home in the rocks ; the 

 groimd hog lives in the ledges and there is a little burrowing 

 animal — a mole I suppose — of which I caught a glimpse ; often 

 too a hawk may be seen soaring above the peaks. 



From the mountain on which I was the view extends on 

 either hand to still higher mountains, on whose sides and sum- 

 mits lay banks of snow. To the north-eastward the slope was 

 into Fall river, and south-westward into the Thompson canvon. 

 For several hundred feet this precipitous side was strewn with 

 boulders, rough and sharp because unsmoothed by the action of 

 glacier or running water; then to the bottom of the canyon and 



