280 Field Columbian Museum — Zoology, Vol. III. 



hillsides. The streams here were bordered by small willows and in 

 some places by balsam cottonwoods, P. tricocarpa. In the lower 

 part of the Boreal Zone considerable brush occurred. The com- 

 monest shrubs were manzanita, mountain mahogany, chincapin, sage- 

 brush, snow-berry, currants, etc. 



The lower part of Long Canon is in the Transition Zone. At 

 this point a considerable number of trees and shrubs reach their 

 upper limits. Among these are the incense cedar, yellow pine, silver 

 Mr, sugar pine, pinon pine, white alder, canon live-oak, California 

 black oak, cascara buckthorn, Garrya, etc. The lodge-pole pine does 

 not range below this altitude. 



The rock formation of the higher parts of the Sierras is chiefly 

 a light grayish granite, which splits up into hard, angular blocks. 

 On the east side of Whitney Creek, near Ramshaw Meadows, are two 

 large craters of red basaltic lava, which have poured out a large 

 stream of lava and covered the country for several miles to the west 

 and southwest and broken the granitic monotony. Much of the 

 topography is rugged, as is usual in granite regions, especially at the 

 lower elevations where streams have been able to do considerable 

 sculpturing." 



The first camp in this region was in Little Cottonwood Meadows, 

 near the summit of the Range, at about 9,500 feet altitude, and the 

 next at Big Cottonwood Meadows, where six days were passed, 

 and then the camp was moved to Ramshaw Meadows, fifteen miles 

 south, at an altitude of about 8,000 feet. Crater Meadows, on 

 Whitney Creek, a few miles west of Ramshaw Meadows, was the 

 next stopping-place, where Mr. Heller remained six days, and then 

 went to Whitney Meadows, 9,000 feet elevation, and passed six 

 days there. At all of these localities collections were made of inter- 

 esting material, and at Crater Meadows the new form of Gulo and 

 topotypes of Microtits dutchcri and Thomomys at pi 11 us were obtained. 

 Long Canon was next visited, and a stay of four days made there, 

 and the route was continued to Hot Springs, several miles lower 

 down the Canon, and then Monache Meadows was visited, at the 

 southwest base of Olancha Peak, and the last camp was made at 

 the head of Big Cottonwood Creek, at the lakes situated at timber 

 line, at the east base of the peak of Old Mt. Whitney (Mt. Corcoran). 



Valuable collections were made at these points, and but one new 

 form, Teonoma c. acrcoa, at Hot Springs, was taken. 



Mr. Heller now went into the Inyo Mountains and remained two 

 weeks, the first camp being at a spring in Beveridge Canon, on 

 the east slope, at about 6,000 feet elevation. He says of this place 



