In the Sierra 



species is four or five feet high, leaves soft 

 and hairy, grateful to the touch, and the de- 

 licious nuts are eagerly gathered by Indians 

 and squirrels. The sky as usual adorned 

 with white noon clouds. 



"June 28. Warm, mellow summer. 

 The glowing sunbeams make every nerve 

 tingle. The new needles of the pines and 

 firs are nearly full grown and shine glori- 

 ously. Lizards are glinting about on the hot 

 rocks; some that live near the camp are 

 more than half tame. They seem attentive to 

 every movement on our part, as if curious to 

 simply look on without suspicion of harm, 

 turning their heads to look back, and making 

 a variety of pretty gestures. Gentle, guileless 

 creatures with beautiful eyes, I shall be sorry 

 to leave them when we leave camp. 



June 29.--! have been making the ac- 

 quaintance of a very interesting little bird 

 that flits about the falls and rapids of the 

 main branches of the river. It is not a 

 water-bird in structure, though it gets its 

 [ 87 ] 



