BEARBERRY 



Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (Linnaeus) Sprengel 



This shrubby member of the Heath Family is seldom seen in bloom 

 by the traveler. Early in the season, soon after the snow melts, the 

 flowers may be found hidden under the mass of beautiful evergreen 

 leaves. They prefer a dry, gravelly, or sandy soil. The leaves were 

 used by the Indians either in combination with tobacco, or by them- 

 selves, for smoking purposes. The plant has also been used in med- 

 icine as an astringent, as well as by tanners in making leather. 



Bearberry, or kinnikinnick, may be found from New Jersey to New 

 Mexico and California, and northward to Labrador and Alaska. 



The sketch was made from a specimen secured near Mount Assin- 

 iboine, fifty miles south of Banff, Alberta, at an altitude of 6,000 feet. 



PLATE III 



