40 THE WEST AMEEICAN SCIENTIST. 



inent, it has not been found profitable to work them. Near the mouth of the San 

 Vicente river on the sides and top of the steep, high mountains, are hundreds of 

 pretty trees of pinus muricata, some of the little trees scarcely three feet high bear- 

 ing several full sized cones ! 



From San Vicente the road leads across a rolling granite country to El Salado, 

 where the ruins of an old adobe announce the failures of others in the past. Then 

 through rough canyons and over a rolling country, passing but a single ranch on the 

 brink of a sandy arroyo, we reach the San Telmo canyon, where a plenty of grass 

 and a large stream of fresh water gives us a pleasant surprise. The upper part of 

 the canyon widens out and contains considerable fertile land where a few vineyards 

 and small orchards are irrigated with ease. Quite a little settlement exists here, as 

 the ranch is owned by several Mexicans and in part by an American, John B. Hyde 

 who has been a pioneer settler for twenty years of San Telmo and Santa Maria com- 

 bined. 



Leaving the older road for a better and newer, we follow down the canyon till 

 about nine miles from the sea, where we strike oS over the mesas, which resemble 

 very closely those that are found on the approach to San Diego from the north, and 

 after some thirty miles of this more or less uneven or sandy road, reach the fine cat. 

 tie ranch at San Eamon, where a nice spring of water may be found. The people 

 throughout this region are engaged in raising horses and cattle principally, along 

 with a few goats and sheep. The principal agricultural products are beans, which 

 are easily raised in quantity. From San Telmo to San Quentin and southward the 

 country was foimerly overrun with rattlesnakes and tarantulas, but at present they 

 are less numerous though still abundant, as several would be seen in traverting the 

 road for twenty miles or so. It was reported that some sailors from the U. S. S. 

 Eanger recently had a grand hunt for these reptiles near San Quentin bay, and after 

 killing a considerable number found a x^lace where they were so thick that they con- 

 sidered a retreat the safest thing they could do. 



The following .selections from Gabb's narrative above refeired to will suffice to 

 complete the present sketch of the coast region of Baja California north of the 31st 

 degree north latitude: 



' From San Fernando we rode ten leagues across rolling and hilly country and 

 through another range to a rocky plain called India Flaca or thin Indian, a very ap- 

 appropriate name, since any Indiin, or white man either, who should live here a few 

 weeks would be sure to be thin enough. We passed the place called the Agua 

 Amarga (bitter water), or Santa Ursula, where we obtained a supply of water for 

 camp use, and then pushed on to the west side of the above plain. Camping in an 

 arroyo near the western margin of the i)lain, close to a low range of hills, we found 

 a sufficiency and had cactus skeletons and maguey stumps for fuel. We had be- 

 come so accustomed to camping without water that we hardly noticed its absence. 

 During this same week we made five * dry camps,' watering our mulej and obtaining 

 a supply of water in our barrels some time during the day. 



' On the way to-day we killed a couple of rattlesnakes and after cutting off their 

 heads carried their bo. des into camp. To the great disgust of the Mexicans we 



