354 BOTANY. 
Tule River, and also on the eastern slope of valleys tributary to the North 
Fork of Kern River. This seems to lead to the conclusion that its distri- 
bution, as indicated by Mr. Muir, is due to causes long ago operative; and 
that, further, its tendency “to spread” is not great. 
On the southern slope of a peak to the south of Mount Whitney, we 
found the present growth of trees at timber-line all dead or dying, and no 
younger ones taking their places, so that, in a few years, the timber-line 
will be several hundred feet lower than at present. I am quite unable to 
give any satisfactory explanation of the fact, unless it be due to a washing 
away of the soil by the melting snows: still, it is worth recording. 
As a general statement, it may be said that in the Southern Sierras, as 
well as in portions of the Coast Range, at an elevation of 5,000 feet, we 
find open grounds, at times dry, but frequently moist enough to come 
under the general denomination of meadows, and that these extend through 
the valleys up to an elevation of nearly 12,000 feet, as at the base of Mount 
Whitney. Ordinarily, they would have been “well grassed”, and fur- 
nished an abundant botanical harvest, but the immense bands of sheep had 
denuded them of every living, green thing, save sage-brush, and had 
actually trampled the soil into a dust, even destroying the roots of the grass 
in great measure. This is to be remembered in connection with the possible 
disappearance of some local species of plants, the modification of the flora 
as regards the proportions of existing plants, and even by repeated “crop- 
ping” changing the entire habit of others The influence of the sheep 
and their herders in destroying the young timber has been adverted to in 
the general considerations in the early part of the volume. 
RANUNCULACEA. 
CLEMATIS LiGusTicrroLia, Nutt., var. Canirornica, Watson.—Head of 
Peru Creek, at 5,100 feet altitude (229). Brewer and Watson in Flora of 
California, 1, p. 3. 
Tuaticrrum Fenpiert, Engelm.—Santa Barbara (111), 1. ¢. p. 4. 
RanunevLus aquatiuis, L., var. TRIcHOPpHYLLUS, Chaix.—Walker’s 
Basin, at 3,440 feet altitude (291 and 304), /. ¢. p. 5. 
Ranuncutus Cymzaaria, Pursh, l. ¢. p. 7. 
aoe 
