GBNBEAL EEPOET. XXvil 



ceeding 10 or 15 feet in height, and confined to a belt of about 2,000 feet 

 in width between the altitudes of 5,000 and 7,000 feet above the sea. In 

 the principal ranges the Mountain Mahogany, Cercocarpus ledifolius, is also 

 of frequent occurrence, but limited to an elevation of 6,000 to 8,000 feet. 

 This too is only a small tree, very rarely 40° high, perferring the rocky 

 ridges and dry mountain sides. On the stream banks in the upper canons 

 the " Quaking Asp," Populus tremuloides^ is usually found, mostly small, but 

 sometimes growing sufficiently large to answer for telegraph poles. In the 

 Shoshone Mountains the Willow-leaved Poplar, Populus lalsamifera, Var. 

 angustifolia, was first met with and occurs abundantly in some canons of 

 the higher portion of the East Humboldt range, becoming a handsome tree 

 60 feet high. In the Washoe Mountains in common with the rest of the 

 Sierras there is a heavy growth of several species of conifers, of which Pinus 

 ponder osa extends down to the very base or even on to the valley slopes. A 

 few scattered trees of the same species were also seen on the northern part 

 of the Virginia Mountains, but for more than a hundred miles to the east- 

 ward other Coniferce than the Nut Pine and Juniper already mentioned 

 appear to be wholly wanting. In the southern Toyabe Mountains some 

 pines and firs are found, probably the same species as those of the East 

 Humboldt range. Here Pinus fiexilis was met with in considerable numbers 

 in the canons, ranging from near the base to the higher divides and slopes, 

 where also were a few specimens of P. Balfouriana, while in some of the 

 high western canons there is a dense growth of Abies Engelmanni. The 

 last is probably the tree which gives its name to the White Pine District. 

 On these mountains the alpine form of Jurdperus communis occurred for the 

 first time, and also J. Virginiana, of more slender and straighter habit than 

 J. occidentalis and preferring more shaded and damper localities. In the 

 Goose Creek Mountains Ahies grandis was found occupying some of the 

 moister canons, which completes the list of the known trees of these central 

 mountain ranges. 



But in no case do these species cover more than very limited portions 

 of the mountains, within the canons, mostly much scattered, and probably 

 never exceeding 40 or 50 feet in height. For the most part also they have 

 been of exceedingly slow growth, are very knotty and cross-grained and 

 make but poor timber. This is especially true of the pines. An extreme 

 instance of the contortion that is occasionally seen in most of these species 



