464 The American Naturalist. [May, 
and gray and green for a foreground, there rises above the dark sand- 
stone tier upon tier, bencn upon bench, terrace upon terrace, stepping 
back further and further and higher and higher, and in their immen- 
sity of height and proportions seeming to tower almost over our heads. 
First above the darker sandstone come the flattened slopes of the line, 
and mineralized matter in horizontal layers of yellow, brown, white, 
red, and green 
« Then rise sheer walls of stained marble 1,000 feet or more, the 
lower portions yellow, brown, and red, and the coloring of red grow- 
ing brighter as it nears the top. Above this, smaller benches of marble, 
at the top of each a little mesa covered with green grass and brushes, 
and above these a dozen or more terraces of scarlet and flame-colored 
sandstone, stained on their outer points with black, and the little 
benches between them relieved by the bright green of the grease-wood 
and bunch grass, the whole covered with, perhaps, a couple of thous- 
and feet of the lighter gray, yellow, and white sandstone ledges, cap- 
ped by pinnacles and spires, turrets and domes in every imaginable 
shape, size and proportion, with all their slopes covered and their tops 
fringed with pine, cedar, and pinion trees, whose bright green stands 
out in bold relief against the flaming colors of the sandstone, and the 
banks of pure white snow that cover the top and have run down into 
the many gulches along the sides.’’ 
A CHANGE IN THE SCENE. 
Further on he writes: “From the southern portion of Powell’s 
plateau to the mouth of the Kanab Wash the canyon assumes an en- 
tirely new form. The granite, except in a few patches, has sunk under 
the river, and the softer strata of sand and limestone which formed the 
great slopes above the granite have come down next to the river and 
rise from the water’s edge in great talus slopes of from 300 to 600 feet 
high at a general angle of 40 degrees from vertical, The high cliffs 
of marble and red sandstone bench back from the top of these slopes. 
Although these outer peaks and cliffs have drawn in close upon the 
river the canyon itself—that is the inner gorge—is much wider than 
above, the width being measured between the tops of the great talus 
slopes, The river is broader, and it sweeps in gentle curves at the foot 
of the talus, which is covered with bushes, bunch grass, and large 
mesquite groves. On many of the long stretches where the river can 
be seen for several miles the picture is one of grandeur and beauty. 
Grand with its walls of bright colors towering 2,500 feet overhead, 
beautiful in its long green slopes, with the quiet waters sparkling 
