Notes and Correspondence. 255 



draining the Sierra. The main streams were long ago named 

 where they issue from the foothills. Tributaries of the third 

 rank have been named and are being named as creeks, but 

 divisions of the first and second rank are called forks, or forks 

 and branches; and this system leads to such infelicities as the 

 North Branch of the Middle Fork of the San Joaquin, for ex- 

 ample. It seems to me desirable that individual names be substi- 

 tuted for many of the present descriptive names of forks and 

 branches, and a system of individual names would doubtless grow 

 up by slow accretion if no convention is attempted; but as a 

 system of natural growth is likely to result in the adoption 

 of many undesirable names, it seems to me better to have a con- 

 siderable number of carefully selected names introduced by a 

 competent organization. For this purpose it seems that the 

 Sierra Club is best qualified. The only other organization which 

 occurs to me as at all suitable is the United States Geological 

 Survey, but that organization has wisely adopted the general 

 policy of recording names in use and of proposing new ones only 

 in cases of absolute necessity. You can readily understand that if 

 it undertook the reorganization of nomenclature, it would be sure 

 to rouse antagonism and its efforts would be defeated. Moreover, 

 its knowledge of the range of local appropriate names cannot pos- 

 sibly be so full as that of a local organization like the Sierra Club. 



I venture, therefore, to propose to the officers of the Sierra 

 Club that the nomenclature of the rivers of the Sierra be delib- 

 erately and carefully considered, with the view to thorough 

 revision. 



It is proper to add that no future time would be so oppor- 

 tune as the present. Detailed mapping is in progress, and if the 

 map-makers can have a good set of names to incorporate the 

 result would be accomplished without friction or inconvenience. 

 I am, very truly yours, 



G. K. Gilbert. 



[It may be noted that, pursuant to this idea, Mr. Le Conte 

 in his article in the present number has selected the name Evolu- 

 tion Creek for the Middle Branch of the South Fork of the San 

 Joaquin River, and in his map of that region, also printed with 

 this number, he has selected the name Piute Branch for the North 

 Branch of the South Fork of the San Joaquin River. — Editor.] 



Zamboanga, p. I., May 17, 1904. 

 Secretary Sierra Club, San Francisco. 



Dear Sir — I am returning from this trip to Mt. Apo before 

 receiving the Club cylinder, but expect to visit it again in the fall. 



