236 CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE NATIONAL, HERBARIUM. 



streams from the snow fields and present glaciers, the water of these 

 lakes is ice cold. High up on the peaks, in glacier basins, are often 

 found miniature jewel-like lakes of intense colors, freqviently sur- 

 rounded by the ice walls of the glaciers themselves. Most spectac- 

 ular of them is Iceberg Lake, on the east slope, which all summer long 

 is full of huge blocks of floating ice which have broken off from the 

 overhanging glacier. In some of these small alpine lakes the water 

 is milky white from the particles of rock, finely ground by glaciers, 

 held in suspension. 



One of the most striking features of the park is found in the glaciers 

 which have given it its name. These lie in depressions at the head 

 of some valley or hang high up on steep rock slopes. None of them 

 are very large — Blackfoot Glacier is about three miles wide — but there 

 are over 60 of them in the park. Each one possesses all or most of 

 the features of the largest glaciers, and in a small glacier one can see the 

 processes of glacial action much more readily than in a large one. 

 Streams of water flow away from each of these ice masses, often falling 

 abruptly over high cUffs, carrying down chunks of ice and rock which 

 are heard constantly crashing upon the rocks below. The streams 

 themselves, which abound everywhere in the park, are one of its 

 many attractive features. 



To most people another source of interest is the profusion of animal 

 life.^ Deer, elk, moose, mountain sheep and goats, bears, and many 

 smaller animals are found in varying abundance. Sheep and goats 

 are particularly plentiful and may be seen by the visitor in any of the 

 higher regions, sometimes even in the vicinity of the hotels and 

 chalets. The streams and lakes are well stocked with trout and other 

 fishes. 



The winters are long in northern Montana. Snow falls by middle 

 September or even earlier; indeed, at high altitudes, it frequently 

 falls even in midsummer. At low elevations it remains until late in 

 the season. In 1919, although the snowfall had been extremely light 

 the previous winter, numerous snow banks remained at middle or even 

 at low altitudes the first of July. Because of the short summers, the 

 tourist season is limited; it extends from June 15 to September 15. 



GENERAL FEATURES OF THE FLORA. 



All the national parks of the West possess many attractions for 

 anyone interested in plants, whether from the esthetic or from the 

 scientific standpoint, and for the study of plants none offers greater 

 advantages than Glacier Park. The flora is rich in number of 

 species, and the vegetation is luxuriantly developed. All through 



* See Wild animals of Glacier Park: The mammals, by Vernon Bailey; The birds, 

 by Florence Merriam Bailey. Department of the Interior, National Park Ser^dce. 

 11)18. 



