EXPLORATIONS IN CAPE REGION. - 745 



covered by a dense mass or jungle of shrubs and low 

 trees, which in the mountains are much higher. During 

 the dry season they become mostly bare and dormant, but 

 with the first shower they cover themselves with leaves 

 and flowers, and the whole country assumes an appear- 

 ance of marvelous beauty and verdure. There is thus 

 little moisture actually wasted, none during a storage 

 period for future use, as in the northern part. But, on 

 the other hand, when the rain ceases, the vegetation dries 

 up very quickly, and, except in the high mountains, no 

 indications are left of the beavitiful foliage and flowers of 

 a few months previous. 



The slow, drizzling rains, common in all temperate 

 countries, including the larger part of Baja California 

 north of the Cape Region, give place in the latter to trop- 

 ical showers, which suddenly gather and in a few hours 

 may precipitate several inches of rain, after which the 

 sky clears and the sun comes out warm. 



RIVERS, CREEKS, ETC. 



As might be expected, from the increased rainfall in 

 the Cape Region, we also meet here with more creeks 

 and springs than in any other part of the peninsula. In 

 the sierra water is found in almost every gulch, even 

 during the dry season, while in the rainy one every creek- 

 let is running full. But strange to say, there are in this 

 sierra few real springs. The watering places during the 

 dry season are invariably in the otherwise dry beds of 

 creeks and gulches, except, of course, in places where 

 the creeks run continually. Real springs, such as we 

 are accustomed to find in countries where the winter's 

 rainfall is stored up in the soil for summer use, springs 

 gushing out of the soil or from under rocks on the hill- 

 side, etc., are almost entirely absent, or at least very 

 scarce. I cannot remember having seen more than three 



•2d Ser., Vol. V. ( 48 ) ' October 30, 1895. 



