tbe Stubs of IRatural Scenery 23 



flowers grow rarer and larger than higher up among the hill- 

 sides; ferns grow out of the moist crevices of the mossy 

 rocks. As the stream grows in strength it forms sand and 

 gravel, erodes rocks and tumbles the remains about in con- 

 fused masses rockeries in which most alpine flowers delight 

 to grow. As the river descends, cascades and rapids grow 

 larger through the increased mass of water gathered from 

 other mountain rivulets that join here and there, perhaps 

 merely formed by a fall of rain, or by melting snow during 

 the approach of spring and summer. Soon the alpine 

 meadows become larger, the river widens into clear lakes ; 

 birch and willow and mountain ash are more common than 

 higher up, where there are only spruce and larch. Below 

 these mountain lakes a fall or rapid is inevitable. It may 

 be an immense ledge of rock that has dammed up the river 

 and thus formed the lake, or a series of rocks and ledges 

 cemented together with sediment. 



More often the water undermines the rocks, carries away 

 the sand and gravel, and forms deep winding ravines, where 

 a rich and varied vegetation takes root on the steep sides. 

 In such ravines, through which the never silent mountain 

 river flows slowly and meditatingly, an innumerable host 

 of the choicest of flowers grows in the light shade of birch, 

 aspen and mountain ash. The trees lean over, here almost 

 horizontally, there rising on bent and picturesque trunks 

 into a more upright position. Here a bridge of foliage 

 and flowers has been formed across the stream as a climber 

 has grown to the utmost limb of a leaning tree, and twin- 

 ing its stem among the trees on the other side, forms gar- 

 land after garland. If you want to study the loveliest 



