PACIFIC AND BEERING'S STRAIT. g3 



cliiring our stay. The Spaniards assert that there is 

 an adder in the wood which is venomous, and that 

 there are rattlesnakes upon the island of Molate in 

 the harbour ; but w^e saw neither the one or the other, 

 notwithstandiuiT Mr. Elson and a boat's crew landed 

 upon Molate, which is very small indeed. 



Fish are not much sought after in California, in 

 consequence of the productions of the land being so 

 very abundant ; several sorts, however, are brought 

 to the tables of the missions. In the Bay of Monte- 

 rey we noticed the scomber colias, and another kind 

 of mackerel, the torpedo and another species of raia, 

 achimara, and swarms of small fish resembling the 

 Sardinia. Muscles are found in considerable quantities 

 upon the shores, and form a large portion of the food 

 of the Indians bordering upon the coasts and rivers. 

 At Monterey two species of haliotis of large size are 

 also extremely abundant, and equally sought after by 

 the Indians. They are found on the granite rocks 

 forming the south-east part of the bay, which appears 

 to be their northern limit. The natives make use of 

 these shells for ornaments, and decorate their baskets 

 with pieces of them. Besides these shell-fish, there 

 were noticed a few patella, Umpef, turbo, cardium, 

 and mya shells, and among other lepas, a rare species 

 of /. anotifera and a chiton (tiuiicatus '^) 



The forests of this part of California furnish prin- 

 cipally large trees of the pinus genus, of which the p. 

 rigida and the red cedar are most abundant, and are 

 of sufficient growth for the masts of vessels. Two 

 kinds of oak arrive at large growth, but near the coast 

 they do not appear to be very numerous. There is 

 here a low tree with a smooth reddish-brown bark 

 bearing red berries, which from the hardness of its 



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