328 University of California Publications in Zoology. \|Vou-9 
are much contorted, their position being mostly vertical or nearly 
so. Timber-line reaches an altitude of 1000 to 1500 feet on 
the south wall of the valley, but on the north wall it ascends 
as high as 2000 on some of the lateral ridges. 
The Sitka spruce, mountain hemlock, and western hem- 
lock are the prevailing forest trees, all three occurring from 
tide water to timber-line. The meadows at the mouth of the 
river which are subject to flooding by spring tides are covered 
by a heavy growth of carex, which gives way to rye-grass 
on the gravel beaches contiguous to the mud-flats. At the 
upper edges of the meadows thickets of willow oceur, extending 
inland along the streams where these thickets become mixed 
with alders. The cottonwoods occupy the drier soil beyond the 
willows, and spruce of small size growing in dense masses has 
taken possession of the greater part of the valley. Scattered 
about through these forests are considerable areas of swamp, 
supporting bright green patches of grass growing in a foot or 
two of water. These swamps are normally covered by a thin 
coating of oil and are known locally as vegetable oil swamps. 
The streams flowing from these pools are charged with consid- 
erable iron oxide which is deposited on all the vegetation in 
contact with the streams. This substance occasionally stains 
the plumage of some of the water birds frequenting the region. 
CANOE PASSAGE, HAWKINS ISLAND. 
Hawkins Island is rectangular in outline, with a narrow pas- 
sage through the middle which separates it into two nearly equal 
masses. This passage is so shallow that it is only navigable 
for canoes at high tide. The surface of the island slopes gently 
from the few central low dome-shaped mountains to the coast. 
The rocky cliffs along the coast show the same characteristics 
as those observed at Cordova Bay. The strata along the coast 
consist of alternating beds of sandstone and slate, usually with 
a sharp dip, or nearly vertical in position. Permanent snow- 
beds do not oeeur on the island, the highest peak being but 
2000 feet and searcely reaching above timber-line. The highest 
mountain, altitude 1800 feet, on the west section of the island 
was ascended. Here timber-line extended nearly to the summit 
