Briefer Articles. gt 



Islands. Its wood takes a good polish. From the Birch family 

 we find the Western Birch (Betula occidentalis) very common in 

 the Columbia Valley. The Dwarf Birch (Betula glandulosa) a 

 small shrub, abundant all over the mainland; and the Canoe 

 Birch (Betula papyrifera) which grows on Vancouver Island and 

 in the region of the F'raser and Peace rivers. It is used by the 

 Indians for baskets, bo.xes, canoes, etc. 



Except a few small trees, a mile and a half above Yale, on the 

 Fraser, the only oak in the province is the Western White Oak 

 (Quercus carryana), which is found on Vancouver Island, chiefly 

 in its southeastern part. It is sometimes seventy feet high and 

 three feet in diameter, though many of the trees are scrubby. 

 The Westering P'lowering Dogwood (Cornus nuttallii) is very 

 common in the neighborhood of Yale and around Victoria, Van- 

 couver Island. Cornus pubescens is abundant also at Victoria 

 and in the Kraser River valley. The wood of the dogwood, or 

 dogberry as it is sometimes called, is used for inlaying and orna- 

 mental work. The Arbutus or Madrona (Arbutus menziesii), 

 sometimes fifty feet high and twenty inches in diameter, is chiefly 

 found on Vancouver Island and neighboring isles; in the vicinity 

 of Victoria, on the Esquimalt road, the arbutus is very common. 

 It is a beautiful tree, with evergreen leaves and reddish bark. 

 The Bearberry.(Arctostaphylos uva-ursi) is a small trailing and 

 evergreen shrub, growing in dry and rocky places, chiefly in the 

 northwest of the province. The berries are mealy and form a 

 principal part of the food of bears, grouse and prairie chickens. 

 Arctostaphylos tomentosa grows in dry and rocky localities of 

 southern British Columbia and on Vancouver Island. 



From the Poplar family, the American aspen or Tremulus 

 poplar (Populus tremuloides) abounds in the interior, and also in 

 the north. It reaches sometimes a thickness of two feet. The 

 other varieties of poplar in British Columbia are commonly 

 called the Cottonwood. Populus trichocarpa is common in 

 Columbia and Fraser River valleys. Populus monilifera and 

 Populus balsamifera are to be found in the northern and north- 

 eastern parts of the province, and also in the valley of the Lower 

 Fraser. 



Herewith I conclude this article on some of the trees in British 

 Columbia. It is only a general outline I give to the readers of 

 the West American SciENTisT,though at some future time I in- 

 tend to furnish a careful description ofall the plants, if possible,which 

 are to be found in this magnificent province. M. Lopatecki. 



BRIEFER ARTICLES. 



Presentiments — From an article by Rev. J. M. Buckley in 

 the July Century on " Presentiments, Visions and Apparitions" 

 we quote the following : " Since that experience, in many voy- 



