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NATURALIST'S GUIDE TO THE AMERICAS 



reach an elevation too great to be ir- 

 rigated, on the basalt stab lands and 

 along the bluffs bordering the Columbia 

 river are extensive tracts which must 

 remain permanently sagebrush. 



b. Animals. In the sagebrush of the 

 Columbia River basin occur such typical 

 forms as the coyote, badger, pocket- 

 mouse, kangaroo-rat (Dipodomys ordii 

 columbianus) , ground-squirrel, black- 

 tailed jackrabbit (Lepus californicus 

 waJlawalla) , and cottontail rabbit. In 

 the willows along the smaller streams 

 are found the shrew, harvest-mouse, 

 deer-mouse, muskrat, beaver and o+her 

 riparian species. L. R. D. 



In the sagebrush occur the rattlesnake, 

 bull-snake, racer, two small lizards 

 (Scelopors occidentalis occidentalis and 

 S. graciosus gracilis), the horned toad 

 (Phrynosoma d. douglassii] and spade- 

 foot toad (Scaphiopus hammondii). 

 Along streams occur the garter-snake 

 and the leopard-frog. 



C. MARINE VEGETATION 



The bladder kelp (Nereocystisluetke- 

 ana] forms the most conspicuous feature 

 of the marine vegetation of Puget 

 Sound. The huge size of the individual 

 plants, the fact that the bladder-like 

 float is always at the surface of the 

 water, and the fact that it forms such 

 dense beds covering large areas, bring 

 it to the attention of every observer 

 who crosses the waters of Puget Sound. 

 A good bed may be seen at Lincoln 

 Beach, Seattle, and another at Point 

 Defiance, Tacoma. Especially good 

 beds are found in the vicinity of the 

 Puget Sound Biological Station (Friday 

 Harbor) and at other points in the San 

 Juan Islands. 



Another kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) 

 forms beds of considerable size near 

 Neah Bay and Cape Flattery. The 

 sea palm (Postelsia palmaeformis) grows 

 in the same region, forming dense clus- 

 ters in the littoral zone on rocks that 

 are exposed to violent waves. Ptery- 

 gophora californica, a perennial kelp 

 with thick, stout stems, grows in the 

 same region and is commonly washed up 



on the beaches. The feather boa kelp 

 (Egregia menziesii) is also common in 

 this region and also around San Juan 

 Island. 



Leaf-like kelps of the following genera 

 are common in the waters of Puget 

 Sound : Laminaria, Cymathaere, Agarum 

 Alaria and Costaria. Several other 

 kelps are also found in certain places. 

 Rockweed (Fucus sp.) is common along 

 many of the rocky shores. 



The sea lettuce (Ulva sp.) and other 

 green algae are also common in the lit- 

 toral zone. Red algae, both filamentous 

 and thalloid, are found in the littoral 

 zone and are also commonly dredged at 

 the Biological Station at Friday Harbor. 

 Many of the filamentous forms are 

 unusually beautiful. Some blue-green 

 algae (e.g. Nostoc) are also found. 

 Mineral-encrusted red algae (Ampiroa 

 and Corallina) are abundant in some 

 places. 



Three species of seed plants are found 

 in salt water along the shores of this 

 state, especially in Puget Sound. Eel- 

 grass forms dense growths in shallow 

 waters, and two species of sea basket- 

 grass (Phyllospadix scouleri and P. 

 torreyi) grow on rocks exposed to wave 

 action. 



Pollution 



In general the waters of the Pacific 

 Ocean, the Strait of Juan de Fuca, 

 and Puget Sound, where they border 

 the State of Washington, are not badly 

 polluted. There is considerable pol- 

 lution, however, in the vicinity of the 

 salmon canneries during the summer. 

 The sewage from some of the cities 

 (e.g. Seattle) is also discharged into the 

 Sound. At times oil from boats covers 

 the surface of the water in places, and 

 there is more or less of general refuse 

 near cities and along lines of travel of 

 boats. Fortunately the sea gulls act 

 as scavengers and take care of a good 

 deal of the refuse. 



Many of the fresh water lakes are 

 practically free from pollution, though 

 those in or near the cities are commonly 

 more or less polluted. For example, 

 Green Lake in Seattle is badly polluted, 



