354 APPENDIX. 



Our stay in the Bay of St. Francisco, in Cali- 

 foi-nia, during the months of October and No- 

 vember, was unfavourable to the observations of a 

 naturalist. A perfect drought prevails during those 

 months ; vegetation appears completely dead ; and 

 all birds of passage abandon the country. The 

 landscape along the coast is alternately formed 

 of naked hills, of a rocky or clayey soil, and 

 low sandy levels, covered with stunted bushes. 

 Further inland, the soil is more fertile, but still 

 deficient inwood. The background every where 

 presents lofty mountains ; we visited only those 

 to the north, at the foot of which the Russian 

 settlement Ross is situated. Here a fine forest of 

 lofty pines, mingled with oak and horse chesnut- 

 trees, charms the eye. Of the mammalia of this 

 hitherto unexplored country, only a fevv can be 

 cited. The light grey American bear, with a small 

 head, abounds in unfrequented districts, but brown 

 bears are also occasionally killed. We nearly 

 ascertained the existence of two sorts of polecats, 

 and succeeded in getting a skin of one ; its fur 

 is brown below, and black above : from the fore- 

 head a white stripe runs to the middle of the 

 back, and then divides into two, which extend to 

 the extremity of the tail. The feet of the animal 

 show that it treads upon its entire sole, and lives 

 in holes like a badger. The second sort is said 

 to have three white stripes : our sailors caught 

 one, but it got away again. The mole here is 



