STUDY V. 287 



enormous mafs flielters them from the North- 

 wind, and refleds on them the rays of the Sun, 

 by their curves, and the particles of mica with 

 which it is filled. The bottoms of thefe vallies 

 were fkirted with long borders of meadow, which 

 every where facilitate the communication. At the 

 places where they were pure rock, as in their ori- 

 ginal ftate, they were covered with a plant, called, 

 by the natives, Kloukva, which thrives on the 

 rock. It comes out of the clefts, and feldom rifes 

 higher than a foot and a half; but it fpreads in all 

 direâiions,, and extends far and wide. It's leaves 

 and verdure refemble thofe of the box, and it's 

 boughs are loaded with a red berry, good to eat, 

 refembling the flrawberry. 



The fir, the birchj and the fervice-tree vege- 

 tated wonderfully well on the fides of thofe hills, 

 though, in many places, they found fcarcely earth 

 fufficient in which to infert their roots. The 

 fummits of mofl of them were rounded in form of 

 a fcull-cap, and rendered quite gliftering by the 

 water which oozed acrofs the long crevices that 

 furrowed them. Many of thefe fcull-caps were 

 perfedly bare, and fo llippery, that it was difficult 

 to walk over them. They were crowned, round 

 and round, with a broad belt of mofs of an eme- 

 rald green, out of which ftarted here and there an 



infinite 



