112 THE MOUNTAINS OF CALIFORNIA 



out over fissured ribs and tablets, or stand erect 

 back in shadowy niches, in an indescribably wild 

 and fearless manner. Moreover, the white-flowered 

 Douglas spiraea and dwarf evergreen oak form grace 

 ful fringes along the narrower seams, wherever the 

 slightest hold can be effected. Rock-ferns, too, are 

 here, such as allosorus, pella3a, and cheilanthes, mak 

 ing handsome rosettes on the drier fissures ; and the 

 delicate maidenhair, cistoperis, and woodsia hide 

 back in mossy grottoes, moistened by some trick 

 ling rill ; and then the orange wall-flower holds up 

 its showy panicles here and there in the sunshine, 

 and bahia makes bosses of gold. But, notwith 

 standing all this plant beauty, the general impres 

 sion in looking across the lake is of stern, unflinch 

 ing rockiness; the ferns and flowers are scarcely 

 seen, and not one fiftieth of the whole surface is 

 screened with plant life. 



The sunnier north wall is more varied in sculp 

 ture, but the general tone is the same. A few head 

 lands, flat-topped and soil-covered, support clumps 

 of cedar and pine ; and up-curving tangles of chin 

 quapin and live-oak, growing on rough earthquake 

 taluses, girdle their bases. Small streams come cas 

 cading down between them, their foaming margins 

 brightened with gay primulas, gilias, and mimu- 

 luses. And close along the shore on this side there 

 is a strip of rocky meadow enameled with butter 

 cups, daisies, and white violets, and the purple- 

 topped grasses out on its beveled border dip their 

 leaves into the water. 



The lower edge of the basin is a dam-like swell 

 of solid granite, heavily abraded by the old glacier, 



