In the Sierra 



neath my feet, mountain pines around its 

 shining rim. To the northward the pic- 

 turesque basin of Yosemite Creek glitters 

 with lakelets and pools ; but the eye is soon 

 drawn away from these bright mirror wells, 

 however attractive, to revel in the glorious 

 congregation of peaks on the axis of the 

 range in their robes of snow and light. 



Carlo caught an unfortunate woodchuck 

 when it was running from a grassy spot to 

 its boulder-pile home one of the hardiest 

 of the mountain animals. I tried hard to 

 save him, but in vain. After telling Carlo 

 that he must be careful not to kill any- 

 thing, I caught sight, for the first time, of 

 the curious pika, or little chief hare, that 

 cuts large quantities of lupines and other 

 plants and lays them out to dry in the sun 

 for hay, which it stores in underground 

 barns to last through the long, snowy win- 

 ter. Coming upon these plants freshly cut 

 and lying in handfuls here and there on 

 the rocks has a startling effect of busy life 



[ 207 ] 



