166 DOUGLAS' JOURNAL 



and placed under some pieces of bark near the fire for the night. / The Fall 

 is a perpendicular pitch of 24 feet across the whole northern arm of the 

 river, through which the principal part of the water runs ; the south branch 

 is dashed over shattered rocks, making a semicircular curve similar to that 

 on the other channel. They meet a few yards below the Falls, where the 

 whole body of the water is again dashed over a small cascade of 8 feet high. 

 The river is only 43 yards wide, where it leaves the cascade in snowy flakes 

 or foam, for the space of 120 yards. The whole face of the country is 

 exceedingly picturesque, and in many places the scene is grand with every 

 variety of appearance that can be called beautiful. The channels are 

 divided by a small oval rocky island with a few stunted trees on it. 



Sunday, April 23rd. Heavy rain and snow on the hills. Changed 

 the paper on my plants. 



Monday, 2th. Clear and cold. Made a walk to one of the hills to 

 the south ; observed the three species of Pentstemon, shrubby, and a great 

 profusion of dried capsules. One very strong, perennial, and a third some- 

 what smaller. In the course of the day killed three partridges of the same 

 species as the only male sent to England last October. It is a very rare 

 bird near the coast ; in the whole course of the season only two birds, both 

 males, came under my notice. As I observed before, it is found on the hills 

 among the rocks and is very seldom to be seen on the plains. It is by no 

 means shy ; when raised they fly a few yards and will either light on a rock 

 or on a pine, where they can be easily killed. At this season they are not 

 seen in great numbers together. The number of young or the colour of 

 the eggs I have not yet learned ; as I had spare time, of course they were 

 carefully preserved. 



Tuesday and Wednesday, April 25th and 26^. Clear and cold. Made 

 a short walk on the banks of the river ; collected the following plants : 



(34), Acer sp. ; flowers green, young shoots red ; a small shrub, 

 4 to 14 feet high ; in low woods, near springs or moist ground. 



(35) Betula sp. ; a tree sometimes attaining the height of 20 to 30 feet 

 and 9 inches to a foot diameter on the margin of mountain springs and 

 rivulets, where it is found most abundantly ; seldom more than 6 or 

 8 feet high ; plentiful. 



(36) Trillium sp. ; flowers sessile, brownish-red ; leaves ovate-orbicular ; 

 a fine species, inhabiting low moist peaty soils among Betula and Salix ; 

 this I take to be T. ovatum of Pursh. 



Observed Berberis Aquifolium in greater abundance than in the lower 

 country ; plants much smaller, and a greater profusion of blossoms, growing 

 among shattered rocks where there is scarcely any earth. 



Collinsia of Nuttall is also plentiful, but likewise smaller. 



Killed a male curlew and, having a spare hour in the evening, I 

 preserved the skin. They are plentiful on the dry plains, and on being 

 raised perch on trees. This bird seems to differ materially from the 

 European, which is almost always seen in the vicinity of morasses or 

 moist ground. Egg, which I found in the nest, about the size of the 

 common partridge, of a light brown with blue spots, the small end more 

 pointed. 



