Miscellanéous Intelligence. 507 
in Utah, which lies on the base of the Wahsatch Mountains, them- 
selves the western praise of the Rocky Mountains proper in 
that latitude. After ascending these we proceeded westward by 
rail through Utah, to Mews da, “thus crossing the great inte region 
that intervenes between the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Ne- 
vada, which is variously known asthe Desert, Salt, or Sink region 
of North America, in accordance with the prevailing features of 
y numerous short meridional mounta ee ges, often reaching 
8,000 feet, and rarely 10,000 feet elevation ; unlike the Roe cky 
Mountains or over the Sierra Nevada, these © preset no —— 
slopes, and shi the highest have a limite pine 
‘rom Reno, at the western base of the Sierra aw aid we pro- 
ceeded es by Carson City, flanking the Sierra for some sixty 
miles to Silver Mountain, when we struck westward, ascending 
the Sierra, which was crossed obliquely into the Pacific slo ope. 
There we visited three groves of the “ Big Trees” 7 Sip gigan- 
tea) at the headwaters of Stanislaus and Tuolomne Rivers, and th 
singular Yosemite Valley, whence we descended into the great 
valley of California, and made for San Francisco. 
From the latter place w mate e excursions first to the old Span- 
: reat , 
anist, as being the scene of Menzies’ labors during the voyage of 
our countryman, no snaieniay in 1798 (whose surveys are 
cers of the Coast Survey of the United States), whom he accom- 
panied as botanist. Then we went northward along the coast 
range to Russian River to visit the oe of Red-wood (Sequoia 
sempervirens), the only living congener of the Big Trees, and 
almost their rival in bulk and stature. "Phen to Sacramento, and 
up the valley of that name for 150 miles to Mount Shasta, a noble- 
forest-clad volcanic cone about 14,400 feet in elevation. Return- 
ing thence to Sacramento we took the Union Pacitic ailway east- 
ward, and from the highest station visited Mount Stanford, on the 
crest of the Sark Nevada, and Lake Tahoe, which occupies a basin 
in the ciaberiae at about 7,000 feet elevation, and with which we 
maximum ovebeuaen in number of species and in stature on the 
Pacifie a2 of the American continent. 
The net result of our joint investigation and of Dr. Gray’s pre- 
Vious intimate knowledge of the elements of the American flora is, 
that the vegetation of the middle latitudes of the_ continent re- 
as ees and 
enera of herbaceous plants are concerned, abso lately distinct. 
ese are the two ie 7 and the dry intermediate regions above 
indicated. 
