19161 Kellogg: Mammals and Birds of Northern California 341 



lies at the extreme southern point of the valley, where the river 

 makes its entrance from a canon ahout a mile wide and six miles 

 long. Beyond this lies the main valley, but we did not go farther 

 north than our camp, which was situated just where the valley 

 begins to widen. The altitude is 3000 feet. 



The water from the river is used extensively for irrigation. 

 We were told that about fifty years ago the whole stream was 

 diverted to the eastern side of the valley where it now runs, per- 

 haps to facilitate in some way the use of the water. Our camp 

 was situated in the old river-bed: the sandy bottom-land, undis 

 turbed, has gradually become covered with a dense growth of cotton- 

 woods and willows. Zonally the valley is mainly Upper Sonoran, 

 but there are a number of Transition elements mixed in. Of par- 

 ticular interest was the discovery of Dipodomys, which finds here 

 an ideal home in the sand of the river-bed. Birds, of the stream- 

 side category, were numerous. 



As the weather had become very warm we decided to go up 

 to Jackson Lake on the eastern slope of the Salmon Mountains. 

 The move was made on June 15, and this may be considered our 

 first base camp on the main line of the proposed fieldwork. We 

 secured the services of Mr. John Baker as guide and hunter, with 

 five pack animals to be used in transporting our outfit from camp 

 to camp. 



Jackson Lake is a nearly circular bit of water, at an altitude 

 of 6000 feet, lying in an amphitheater of rocky peaks. The highest 

 of these, situated on the north side of the lake, is called Wildcat 

 Peak. The only break in the rocky wall is where Jackson Creek 

 flows out from the lake to the east down a narrow- valley, green 

 with meadows and alder thickets. A thick stand of yellow pine, 

 fir, spruce, hemlock, tamrac pine, and some sugar pine, tills in this 

 open side of the lake and extends back up along the side of Wild- 

 cat Peak almost to its barren summit. On our arrival, June 15, 

 there was still much snow around the lake, especially on the rugged 

 south side, with a few patches in the woods. There is a small 

 pebbly beach on the north side of the lake, but for the most part 

 the rocks descend sheer into the water. Several small streams 

 enter the lake on the south, east, and north. We had fortunately 

 arrived early enough to avoid any running of cattle or sheep into the 

 meadows, and as the timber around the lake has not been cut, it was 



