228 CALIFORNIA ALKALINE AND BORACIC LAKES. 



cumstances of the feldspars of the district being to a large extent tricliaic, 

 sodium might be expected largely to predominate; still so great a dispropor- 

 tion in the respective amounts of the two alkalies could scarcely have 

 been anticipated. The circumstance may perhaps, to some extent, be ac- 

 counted for by supposing the potassium salts to have been largely assimi- 

 lated by plants during the percolation of the waters containing them 

 through vegetable soil, while the salts of sodium, not having thus been ar- 

 rested, have passed into the river, and thence into the lake. 



Owen's, like Mono Lake, was at one time much more extensive than it 

 is at present ; this is evident from the occurrence of a series of parallel ter- 

 races, plainly traceable on each side of the valley. In- addition to these 

 lakes, numerous alkaline lag^^nes and boiling springs are met with through- 

 out this region. 



The A7'temia fertilis, before referred to as being plentiful in Mono Lake, 

 is also exceedingly abundant in Owen's Lake. A peculiarity of this crus- 

 tacean is, that it congregates into masses which have often a strange ap- 

 pearance in the water. These masses sometimes stretch out in such a way 

 as to have the form of a serpent, while at others they represent circles or 

 various irregular figures. A gentle breeze scarcely affects water filled by 

 Artemice, so that while on all sides the water is slightly ruffled, that which 

 is occupied by these dense aggregations remains perfectly smooth, thus in- 

 dicating the figure of the mass. On placing some of these crustaceans in a 

 bottle filled with water, for the purpose of preserving them for subsequent 

 microscopical examination, it was found that those which died rapidl}^ dis- 

 appeared, and on closely examining what had taken place, it soon became 

 evident that as soon as vitality had ceased chemical action was set up, and 

 the animal gradually disolved in the strongly alkaline brine. 



Burton {Springs are situated at the extreme northern point of Owen's 

 Yalley. These springs rise from the earth over an area of about eighty 

 square feet, which forms a basin or jDond that pours its heated waters into a 

 narrow creek. In this basin a vegetable growth is developed at a temper- 

 ature of about 160° Fahr., and is continued into the creek to a distance of 

 about a hundred yards from the springs ; where, at a temperature of about 

 120° Fahr., the algas grow to a length of over two feet, looking like bunches 

 of waving hair of a beautiful green color. Below the temperature of 100° 

 Fahr., these plants cease to grow, and give way to a slimy fungus, which is 

 also green in color, but finally disappears as the temperature of the water 

 decreases. Dr. J. H. Wood, Jr., who has carefully examined this growth, 

 makes the following observations with regard to it: " This plant certainly 

 belongs to the Nostochacea^ and seems a sort of connecting link between the 

 genera Hormosiphon of Kiitzing and Nostoc. 



" The best algologists now refuse to recognize the former group as gen- 

 erically distinct, and the characters presented by this plant seem to corrob- 

 orate this view. 



"The species appears to be an undescribed one, and I would propose 



