xuttall's pacific box. L13 



leaf-stem, the brief scattered hairs turn back, and are 

 more or less close-pressed above, rather more confusedly 

 half-woolly beneath, and the hue lighter grayish-green, 

 "gloaming the twilight grove," changing again in mellow 

 Autumn sunlight to gold and royal purple. From the end 

 of these final branches, supported by a stout foot-stalk, one 

 to two inches long, are set the large white involucral flower- 

 leaves, four to six in number, two to three inches long, and 

 half as wide, nearly like the proper green leaves, but often 

 notched at the end ; these are what appear like great petals, 

 and go to make up that grand floral display we behold, but 

 the true florets are at the eye-like center, being too small for 

 casual observation. Here also at length appear the spheri- 

 cal heads or bunches of bright scarlet berries, one hundred 

 and forty to one hundred and fifty, of which, fifteen to thirty 

 mature, or say, usually about twenty-five, here they crowd 

 and nestle, emblazoning with livelier cheer the somber 

 Autumn shades; separately they are tiny, say half an inch 

 long and about half as wide, oblong-egg like, abruptly black 

 tipt, commonly so compactly crowded together as to become 

 quite angular ; these very ornamental clusters are even 

 largest and brightest red in the dense secluded woods, and 

 there only rivaled by the brighter scarlet and purple foliage 

 shading to iris yellow; forests by no means solitary nor 

 deserted, but only quiet, as it were, far from the common walks 

 of men; here we may read undisturbed, if wont to peruse 

 any page of the great book open before us, perchance know, 

 here and there a few floral, sylvan, or other famed characters 

 of her living alphabet, if not technically, yet to all intents and 

 purposes, truly, so as to begin to combine them in the order 

 of her harmony, or at least to appreciate them when so com- 

 bined; then, what if these trees climb some tall, steep glen 

 side, bow low and lean off the precipice, becoming pictur- 

 esque, quite athwart the narrow defile, or spanning the mir- 

 rored brook, arching up over, shooting high the tented top 

 that beautifully embowers the pools below. Here the frisky 

 gray squirrel, pigeon, jay, and other wild game are wont to 

 seek them out for food, and later on, they glow upon the 

 ground, and gleam or glimmer in the beds of creeks, from 

 beneath the cool waters, where the speckled trout sports, and 

 the playful 'coon roves at large up and down the deep retired 

 ravine; along these banks and bars the watchful wildcat, 

 couchant, springs upon the great salmon trout left by reced- 

 ing floods ; there are the pretty martin or mountain cat, 

 mink, and the fisher, there also roam the bear and the lion 

 seeking their prey, and here the sly fox and prowling wolf 

 find their favorite haunts, and the nimble little lank red- 

 wood deer oft returns to slake his thirst, besides unnum- 

 bered beasts and birds that retire to these romantic shelters 

 15 



