IPostelsia 53 



Both the San Juan and Gordon rivers find 

 outlet into San Juan harbor about 3-4 kilo- 

 meters apart. The former stream through al- 

 luvial deposits and the formation of an extensive 

 sand bar at its mouth has shifted its outflow 

 from its one time channel so that at low tide it 

 flows into the Gordon a short distance above the 

 mouth of the latter. Between the original out- 

 let of the San Juan and the place where they at 

 present both reach the harbor, there has been built 

 up a considerable alluvial plain which now sup- 

 ports a very heavy forest mostly of spruce but 

 with scattered trees of cedar and of hemlock. 



The Gordon river valley widens out slightly 

 in its lower part. The heavy timber of the slopes 

 reaches down to the edge of the channel, except 

 near the mouth of the river where narrow strips 

 of meadow land arc found on either side. Again 

 the typical forest trees are Picea sitchensis, 

 Thuja plicata, Tsui^a hcterophylla, and Abies 

 amahilis. Here Pseudotsuga Douglasii is oc- 

 casionally met with even in the lower reaches of 

 the valley, and along the river bank occur Acer 

 macro phyllum as well as one or two species of 



