1902.] NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 415 



"'bald" which crowns the summit. It is ahnost wholly spruce 

 aud balsam, a few birches beiug found here and there. Open 

 places are quite frequent, and are often covered with a dense growth 

 of the hellebore, the favorite food of Pohjgyra andrewsce. The 

 ground is saturated with moisture and I he rocks aud fallen trees are 

 covered with thick moss, Avhich needs only to be sat upon to remind 

 one of a sponge. 



Two days were spent exploring the upper slopes of the moun- 

 tain. Then Ferriss, with one of the guides, left on a three days' 

 trip, following the Black Mountain chaui to the north, along which 

 five great peaks Avere to be seen ranging from 6,300 to 6,600 feet, 

 and which seemed from the camp to be higher even than Mitchell 

 itself. Following bear tracks along the ridge, he went as far north 

 as the fourth peak (Cattail), from which he descended along 

 Cattail branch to the Caney river, and thence up through Wil- 

 son's Cove to Mitchell, stopping for a short time at :Meadow Cove. 

 Two days were spent by the parly in Wilson's Cove, which is 

 heavily timbered with great basswoods and buckeyes, and most of 

 the material was collected there. An attempt to follow down the 

 northeast slope of the mountain along the headwaters of Rock 

 creek, a tributary of the Toe river, was blocked by a high fall in 

 the creek and was also conchologically a failure. 



After spending a week on Mitchell, the party returned to Pal- 

 tou's Knob. Here Walker left to return home, and Ferriss con- 

 tinued the work alone. He explored Potato Top (6,600 feet), 

 aud crossing the gap which separates the headwaters of the Swan- 

 nanoa river from those of the Toe, ascended the Pinnacle of the 

 Blue ridge (alt. 5,600 feet), reaching the headwaters of the South 

 Toe river on its easterly slope. 



Returning again to Patton's Knob, he followed along the ridge 

 to the west, camping at Balsam Gap, between the Ivy and Swan- 

 nanoa rivers (alt. 5,000 feet). " Here the spruce forest ceases 

 and the buckeyes and beeches set in." From this camp he went 

 down the west slope of the gap to the Ivy river. Leaving the gap, 

 he coutmued south along the ridge of the Great Craggy mountains 

 as far as Big Craggy, where he camped until he was literally 

 drowned out by the great storm of August 12 to lit. It rained 

 almost continually while on Craggy, so that but little collecting was 

 done. But he got down into Bee Tree Cove on the wcst side while 



