OCT., 1899.] CANYONS. 21 
narias, silenes and ligusticums, yellow monkey flowers, violets and 
hieraciums, blue veronicas and asters, cream-colored feathery lutkeas 
and parnassias, pink epilobiums, red alpine laurels, and scarlet painted 
cups.! True grasses are scarce. but grass-like carices abound. 
The mammals inhabiting the heather meadows are the rare alpine 
phenacomys (Phenacomys orophilus), the white-footed mouse (Peromyscus 
gambeli), the long-tail mountain vole (Jlicrotus mordax), aud the Sierra 
pocket gopher (Thomomys monticola), The gophers throw up their 
characteristic mounds about the edges of the heather beds but are 
commoner on the adjacent pumice slopes. 
Fia 9.—Glacial meadow at head of Squaw Creek. 
CANYONS. 
All the canyons of Shasta radiate from the ice-covered summit and 
take remarkably straight courses down the steep sides of the moun- 
tain. Most of them are profound gorges cut by swift-flowing glacial 
1 The plants of the glacial basins in the timberline region vary somewhat with the 
moisture of the soil. ‘The commonest species in moist spots and along the borders 
of the streamlets are: lrnica merriami, Castilleja miniata, Epilobium claratium, Hiera- 
cium gracile, Hypericum anagalloides, Mimulus implecus (growing in the water), Mimu- 
lus primuloides, Mitella pentandra, Parnassia californica, Veronica cusichi. The com- 
monest species in the drier parts of the heather beds are: Antennaria media, Castilleja 
miniata, Hieracium gracile, Kalmia glauca microphylla, Luthea pectinata, Ligusticum 
grayi, Phyllodoce empetriformis, Sibbaldia procumbens, Silene grayi, Faccinium caspi- 
tosum, Viola purpurea. 
