164 



S. B. PARISH 



of the Mojave Desert, which its rim looks out upon; but the 

 climatic conditions cause this lake to be filled more frequently 

 and deeply and to retain its water for longer periods, sometimes 

 for several years. The flora of this end of the valley is much 

 affected by the proximity of the desert. The lower part of the 

 valley was formerly a green subalpine meadow, a sedgy pool 

 in the center; now all is submerged beneath the deep waters of a 

 great reservoir. This appears to have effected the extinction 

 of some of the plants which formerly grew here. The flora of the 



Fig. 1. Winter view of the San Bernardino and San Gorgonio Peaks from the 



San Bernardino Valley 



mountains is being further modified by the inroads of the thou- 

 sands who now resort to them for their summer vacations. 



It is to be regretted that records relating to the meteorology 

 of these mountains are few, and for altitudes above 6500 feet 

 entirely wanting. Table 1 presents the mean precipitation at 

 two stations in the mountains, and for comparison that at San 

 Bernardino, at their southern foot, and at Barstow, the nearest 

 available station on the Mojave Desert, not far from their 

 northern base. 



From this table it is seen that the precipitation at Bear Val- 

 ley is nine times as great as* that at Barstow, more than twice 



