^"Ig^^^] Kay, Fortnight on the Farallones. 427 



End, and which has been recentl}' spanned by a substantial bridge. 

 The highest points are Light Tower Peak, 345 feet elevation, on 

 the east, and Main Top, 225 feet, on the west. The slope from 

 the ridge to the water's edge is in places so precipitous as to pre- 

 clude foothold, in others running out into broad rocky or grass 

 covered flats, with now and then a sandy beach. The tireless 

 waves have hewn all manner of curious caves, arches, fjords and 

 basins in the rocky shore. There are caves inland as well, one 

 extending far under Light Tower Peak. The base rock of the 

 islands is a dark, rather soft granite, except Sugar Loaf, which is 

 a mass of conglomerate. The soil, in some places of consider- 

 able depth, though confined to the more level slopes, is guano 

 mixed more or less with granite sand, which latter, with broken 

 shells, forms the beaches. 



Rain is the only potable water, and is caught in a broad cement 

 shed and stored in cool reservoirs and tanks. A spring of amber 

 colored mineral water bubbles up within a few feet of the break- 

 ers, which has the remarkable flavor of unsweetened lemonade. 

 A superficial examination showed the principal mineral ingredi- 

 ents to be sulphates of alumiila and iron. 



With the exception of a grove of twenty Monterey cypress 

 trees in a protected situation the vegetation is limited to several 

 varieties of clinging weeds, viscid rock-flowers, moss and the 

 hardy grass which clothes some of the flats and slopes. The sur- 

 rounding islets are all precipitous with little or no plant life. 



The climate is rather cool, with frequent high winds. The first 

 seven days of our stay the weather varied from clear to cloudy, 

 with little wind and a calm sea, in fact perfect weather. June 3 a 

 strong northwest wind sprung up, with a maximum velocity of 

 fifty-two miles an hour on the level and close to seventy on 

 the peak. During the next two days we again had pleasant 

 weather, and then on June 6 and 7 the wind blew from twenty- 

 eight to forty-two miles an hour, but moderated more or less the 

 last four days of our stay. We had fog but one night, June i, 

 when five hundredths of an inch of moisture fell, and our sleep 

 was punctuated by the fierce blasts of the steam fog-whistle. 

 Except on the lee side, the high winds prevented good results 

 with the camera, but as these were only occasional we had but 

 little difficulty in taking our six dozen pictures. 



