THE TREES OF CALIFORNIA. 215 



bone-like branches, and small waxy bell-shaped flowers. The 

 only representative we have in Scotland of that family is the 

 bear-berry, most of the others are to be found in California, and 

 this one we saw lo feet high. In a bend of the road I saw a 

 few trees of the curious yew-like Tu7tiio7i Californicum. I had 

 seen it often before in the valleys of the Coast Mountains 

 growing to 80 feet in height, and bearing profusely its plum-like 

 fruit. Another strange tree or large shrub was the Fremonto- 

 dendron Californicum. I have before seen it earlier in the year, 

 covered with its yellow star-like blossoms, but now these had 

 turned to seed-vessels. It is the only species of its genus in the 

 world. There are many shrubby evergreen oaks, too, which do 

 not raise their heads above the rest of the "chapparal" — the 

 generic name in California for all brushwood. In the moister 

 spots, however, there is Quercus Californica, the most beautiful 

 of the black oaks, growing to a good-sized tree — with its shining 

 leaves and dark trunk. 



At last we reached the conifer belt, the first trees seen being 

 Libocedrus decurrens and Pinus ponderosa ; and on crossing a 

 ridge of the mountain our road plunged at once into thick and 

 splendid timber of Abies concolor and Pinus Lambertiana. No 

 one who has ever seen that splendid pine in its native land can 

 forget the majesty of the great outward sweep of its branches, 

 leaving the smooth bole a hundred or more feet from the ground, 

 with the huge cones hanging from the ends like tassels. It is 

 the greatest pine in the world, living or extinct. It is not widely 

 distributed, like Pinus ponderosa and Pinus monticola, and does 

 not extend north of the Columbia River. The specimens to be 

 seen in Europe give little conception of the great size and 

 beauty which distinguish it in its native place. 



It was ten o'clock and pitch dark before we reached the 

 Camp Sierra, a summer encampment in the heart of the Sequoia 

 National Park, the largest of the Californian forest parks, and 

 embracing about 250 square miles. The park forms part of a 

 forest reserve of 4,000,000 acres of territory — all more or less 

 clothed with splendid timber. Although it was almost dark, we 

 could see the outlines of the monster Sequoias, which dwarfed the 

 other great trees. We spent a day in riding among the Sequoias, 

 and seeing the gorgeous views of the high Sierra Peaks. There 

 would be too much to tell of such an occasion as this, if I were 

 to fairly describe these wonderful Sequoias. Perhaps my photo- 



