20 Mr. H. T. Mennell on Western Canada. 



clumps of small poplar by the river-banks and round the pools. 

 This absence of trees is, however, attributed, by so excellent an 

 authority as Prof. Macouu, rather to the constant fires which 

 have swept the prairie than to actual un suitability for their pro- 

 duction and growth. 



In certain tracts of the prairie, where the underlying cretaceous 

 rock has been denuded of the alluvium and eroded, or where we 

 have small isolated drainage areas without any outlet except 

 evaporation, a saline condition is found greatly modifying the 

 flora. The genera are mostly the same as in the surrounding 

 region, but the species are distinct, and all assume a grey-green, 

 mealy, or hoary appearance, which distinctly marks the land- 

 scape. This is the so-called " sage-scrub." The most striking 

 plants here are the aromatic Artcmisias, and two dwarf Cacti, 

 Opuntia missouriensis and Mamillaria vivipara. 



Passing from the prairie, with its entirely American flora, to 

 the Rocky Mountains, a remarkable change is at once observed. 

 As the flora becomes alpine the genera and species approximate 

 more and more closely to our Swiss and Scotch alpine flora ; 

 this alpine flora is therefore of great antiquity, and has sumved 

 the climatical changes of long ages — changes the operation of 

 which have been common to the whole northern continental 

 area of the world. In one long day's ramble among the momi- 

 tains from the summit of the Kicking Horse Pass up to the 

 snow-line, 196 species of plants were gathered by us and named; 

 of these about 40 per cent, were European. Among them were 

 many of our most familiar and beautiful alpines, such as Silene 

 acaulis, >Saxifraga oppositi/olia , Lychnis aljnna, Dnjas octopetala, 

 Draha incana, Oxijtropis campestris, PotentiUa fniticosa {uTeesdidle 

 plant, there growing on or near basaltic intrusive dykes, as it 

 does also on the shores of Lake Superior), a TroUius closely 

 allied to ours, Carex atrata, &c. The ferns also are identical 

 with our own ; and include the holly fern, parsley fern, Asplenium 

 Trichomaru's and viride, Cystoptens montana, Woudsia, Lycojmdium 

 annotlnum. 



The most marked absentees are the Primulas and Gentians, 

 which form so striking and beautiful an element of the European 

 alpine flora. 



Among distinctive plants are three species of Bryantlnis or 

 Menziesia, which take the place of our true heaths, which in 

 America are entirely absent. Several liliaceous plants, as 

 Smilacinas and Veratriums, are also conspicuous. 



The forest trees here are almost all Conifers, and attain a 

 large size, though far short of their brethren on the Pacific slope 

 of the mountains. We observed ten species of conifers, amongst 

 which may be noted the Bauksian pine, Douglas' and Engel- 

 manu's spruce, Larix Lyallii, &c. 



