THE BOTANY OF THE ROUTE. 33 



though wide at high water, become almost dry at medium ebb-tides, and were caused b}' the 

 tides flowing through channels in the meadows originall}^ formed by small brooks. The 

 Willopah is navigable for about fifteen miles; the other rivers from four to twelve. There is, 

 of course, a large mixture of fresh water with the salt in the bay, while, at the same time, the 

 rivers are all more salt at their mouths than the Columbia, and for a proportionately much 

 greater distance up them. The bottom of the bay is composed of sand, hard near its mouth, 

 but becoming more and more mixed with mud towards the mouths of rivers and its south end, 

 where it is too soft to bear a man's weight. There are several hard, sandy or gravelly points 

 about the bay, and isolated rocks in a few places. 



Such a variety of "stations" produces a corresponding variety of molluscous and other 

 animals, which are fully spoken of elsewhere with regard to their distribution. I may remark 

 that while all the same varieties of station occur in the sounds, and produce a corresponding 

 series of animals, the greater depth, saltness, and more rocky bottom of those waters, favor the 

 existence of many additional species. 



The immense numbers of waterfowl that frequent this bay at almost all seasons is also referred 

 to in my notes on them, and it will be remarked that nearly all of them are of the same species 

 as on the Atlantic coast, tliough some, like the pelican, reach a much more northern latitude. 

 The variety of fish is apparently greater than in the Columbia, though less than in the sounds. 

 A single large starfish, occasionally washed up from deep water, is the only radiate animal I 

 have seen there. 



Gray's harbor has, apparently, much less variety of animal lil'e than Shoalwater bay. Its 

 bottom is more sandy, and the water probably salter than in the baj'; and I have remarked that 

 the tides flow up it for forty-five miles, though it does not taste brackish at that distance up. 



The shore of the ocean, from the Columbia to Gray's harbor, which is the only part I have 

 visited, is shallow and sandy, and produces less variety of animals than might be expected from 

 visiting the other waters. Though I have walked the whole distance of forty miles twice, and 

 part of it oftener, and at all seasons, I have obtained little more than I did in the bay. I also 

 made a voyage outside, from the Columbia to Shoalwater bay, in a small schooner, being two 

 daj'S and two nights out, but I observed nothing not before seen. 



There are several animals peculiar to the ocean, which are worthy of special reference, being 

 more fully described in my notes on species elsewhere given. 



The sea otter, inhabiting the rocky coast further north and south, is the most interesting and 

 important, being a close link between the otters of fresh waters and the seals, of wliich one or 

 more species abound along the coast, and go far up the rivers. Allied to these are the cetaceans, 

 of which small kinds, called "humpback" and "finback" whales, are constantly to be seen 

 at a distance of a mile or two from the shore, and are sometimes washed up on the beach, 

 supplying a rare feast to the Indians, as well as a supply of oil to the whites. One of these, 

 some years ago, is said to have entered Shoalwater bay, and spouted about there for several 

 days, while the few inhabitants had no weapons to attack it with. Occasionally the large "right 

 whale" is said to be washed ashore along this beach. Porpoises are common in summer, and 

 enter the bays; and the species called by whalers the "killer" has been rarely washed up, 

 one of them in the summer of 1855. 



Several birds are peculiar to the ocean. The albatross and several little known auks, of 

 singular forms, are seen out of sight of land, but never enter the baj's and rarely ever approach 

 the beach, though said to be abundant on rocky islands along other parts of the coast. At 

 5 t 



