153 BOTANICAL GAZETTE. 



trailing bushes, through the superincumbent and long continued mass 

 of snow. 



We thus see that though a long continued mass of snow has much 

 to do in marking a timber line, that line is precedent to the snowv 

 mass. The primary cause is the gravitation of disintegrated rock— 

 the movement of the hill top towards the sea. From the moment the 

 mountain reaches its highest point it commences its downward march. 

 The entire reduction of the highc-st to a level with the plain is but a 

 question of time. The frost and rain and melting snow will do it all, 

 and this reduction, bringing down not only the earth, but cold loving 

 plants to warmer levels, must continually change the aspects of vege- 

 tation, as well as perpetually vary the timber line. 



In low hills as well as in high mountains the forces of gravitation 

 are also at work. But the sides are seldom so steep as in the loftier 

 hills— the rains do not gather with such force nor are the melting 

 snows of near the same duration. Inhere are sudden washes, but not 

 the continuous roll of the earth to the bottom. In time they mav ex- 

 hibit the same phenomena of the disappearance of species from their 

 summits as their loftier brethren ; but the centuries here will Leather 

 much more slowly to j^roduce a similar effect. 



In conclusion we would sny briefly that the "timber line"' of hio-h 

 mountain top- results from the washing down of the earth from the 

 higher elevations. 



Notes from Utah.— Gv1(/(?'//> Cascaiia, Clray. — I have added 

 two stations more to that of last \ear for this ])l;int. One station is in 

 American Fork Canon, 7,500 feet altitude; the other, above Silver 

 Lake, at 11,000 feet altitude. It is difficult 10 secure good setd, 

 because an insect infests the i)ods and destroys the seeds ; but 1 have 

 secured a small quantity. The bursting of the pods is interesting. 

 They split at the end, and the segments coil up with such rapidity 

 that the seeds are thrown tliree feet or more. I believe this plant has 

 never been discovered north of Arizona before, and is rare there. 



A remarkable monstrosity ot RaiuDiciihis Cymbalaria occurs here. 

 The flowers (ten or twenty) are united in a half circle, making one 

 lirge flowe with ovaries arranged in a half moon and surrounded by 

 from one to two hundred petals. 



Dicentia iiniflora, Kellog. - 'i'his is not uncommon in Cilv Creek 

 Canon ; but, unlike ('oulter, i found leaves only with the excejjtion 

 of a single faded flower. 



St/rpfaiif/ius cordatiis. — The petals are twice the sepals, and 

 stems are oiten branched. 



Vcskaria vioiitana. — This occurs as t'ar south as St. George. 



I have a \-ariety of Arabis aniiafa with jiods much wider at ti]) 

 than at base. The sili(]ues of Lcpidiimi IVrii^^htii are freciuently hairy 

 on the edge. The leaves of Arabis Lyallii are as often aiiriclcd as 

 saginate. CapscUa divaricata has the appearance of an introduced 

 plant at St. George, where it is very common. 



