VANCOUVER ISLAND. 39 
that, as a rule, have a rapid descent, and empty 
into inlets or arms of the sea, everywhere in- 
tersecting the coast-line,.east and west of the 
watershed. Lakes, large and small, are common, 
from the summit of the hills to the flat gravel 
lands near the coast; dense pine-forests clothe 
these hills to their very tops. On the open 
lands, misnamed prairies, the scrub-oak ( Quercus 
garryana) grows so gnarled and contorted that 
stock, branch, twig, and even the very leaves 
look as if they suffered from perpetual cramp. 
Alder, willow, black birch, and cottonwood fill 
the hollows. 
The climate of the island is milder and more 
equable than it is on the adjoining continent, 
and closely approximates to that of Great Britain. 
The shortest road to an Englishman’s heart, 
says the adage, is down his throat; and being a 
road a good deal travelled, is it to be wondered 
at if fish (especially such as are welcome tra- 
vellers down this same ‘red lane’) should have 
been the first objects of practical Natural History 
to which the naturalist, fresh from the ‘ old coun- 
try’ and seventy-two days’ imprisonment. on 
board-ship, turned his attention? The first fish 
I saw and tasted was salmon; and to the Salmon 
and its haunts I at once introduce you. 
