102 BULLETIN UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA 



necessary ammunition and material for saving specimens. Although it 

 was the middle of July the morning was quite cool. By keeping behind 

 the hill on the western ridge of the three we were in shadow for a good 

 portion of the distance. It was not until nearly at the limit of trees that 

 the sun's rays began to be felt. The ascent to the timber line was devoid 

 of interest, save that at about 7,000 feet a mother bird with a brood of 

 chicks about three days old vv'as flushed among the Xerophyllum through 

 which the ascent led. This grouse, known as Richardson's grouse, seems 

 t;> be common to this range of mountains, and was taken on several differ- 

 ent occasions. It was a surprise to find the chicks so young. This proves 

 either that the bird had misfortune the first sitting and made a second 

 nest, or that the altitude retarded the nesting time. The size of tho 

 birds discovered and their ability to escape at the age of a few days may 

 easily be conjectured. Two of these little fellows were captured 

 by hand, and proved to be the only birds secured on the trip. 



Lunch was eaten at 7,800 feet, and the summit looked near, but the 

 ridge looked steep and rocky. We were ascending a "hog back," a ridge 

 leading to the summit. It was narrow, in places no more than wido 

 enough to travel in single file, occasionally widening with small grassy 

 plots, in which flowers were growing in great profusion. On the summit 

 of the ridge, and occasionally in the crevices on the sides, a few white-bark 

 pines had a foothold. See Plate XXIV. Their trunks were gnarled and 

 twisted, with broken limbs and stunted branches, showing plainly the 

 great struggle they were enduring. The dead trees are light and dry, 

 burning with a great amount of smoKe and much pitch, blackening every- 

 thing used about the fire for cooking to an unusual degree. The picture 

 given shows plainly the condition of the trees. 



Insects are always scarce in high altitudes and flowers are always 

 brilliant. The slopes of Sinyaleamin mountain were no exception. 

 The zoologist may find some food for refiection in this. If insects have 

 been instrumental in developing color in flowers, as is concluded from 

 modern theories, this condition is to be expected. The few insects seen 

 were very busy, and had a wide fleld to work over and an abundance of 

 flowers to select from. 



Luncheon over, and a supply of typical flowers having been gathered 

 and a few insects taken, the ascent was resumed. 



Mountain climbing to some people is a pleasure, to others a drudgery. 

 Certain it is that few people enjoy climbing up among the timber and 

 over slippery grass, with nothing to see but the limbs of trees immedi- 

 ately ahead, the grass or rocks under foot, and occasionally a patch of 

 blue sky or a glimpse of a peak or a canyon. But when one finally ascends 

 to the rocks, where grass does not grow, where trees are few and stunted, 

 and where solid rocks are piled in stratified layers or tumbled in confu- 

 sion as the case may be, mountain climbing becomes to most people a 

 pleasure and a reality. When one can rest on solid rock for a moment 

 and before him see the peak in all its grandeur, to the right a mass of 

 snow with a stream of silver leading away, to the left a wall of rock 3,000 

 feet high, it is worth the effort needed to get to the position. 



The interesting part of this climb was that one of the party was being 



