No. 444] TRIP TO THE TRUCHAS PEAKS. 



889 



the plants were very large there were very few in numbers. 

 Two species of Kibes, A', wolfii and R. Icntitiu, occurred in the 

 same vicinity. 



August the second we climbed the peak to the northeast, and 

 two days later the one farthest southwest. The slope was 

 gradual so that by following the hogback we could ride quite 

 out of timber. Here we found good grass for our horses and 

 after securing them with lariats we left them to feed and walked 

 to the mountain top. Just at the edge of the forest a great 

 patch of gentians were growing along the trail; we had seen 

 the fringed gentian and the bell gentian but this was our first 

 sight of this high alpine flower. The leaves are short and form 

 a thick mat on the ground and from this dark green mass the 

 light lavender bells clotted with dark purple are lifted on a 

 slender flower stalk two to tour inches high. The species is 



A few hundred feet below the gentian field we passed over 

 hillsides covered with splendid dark purple larkspurs (Delphinium 

 subalpinum) there were acres and acres of this flower which 

 varied from a deep purple marked with black to a very light 

 purple ridged with white, and like the Polemonium the larkspur 

 grows in thick clusters crowding out even the grass at its roots. 



The southwest Truchas we found very difficult to climb and 

 in places we pulled ourselves up by the bunch grass and held 

 our places by digging our heels into the soft earth. All the 

 plants were now reduced to mossy mats hardly more than an 

 inch through. 



A tiny primrose grew among the rocks ; beautiful dark blue 

 forget-me-nots (Eritric/iimn argenteum) with white woolly leaves 

 and stems were abundant ; a Sedum covered large acres and a 

 little phlox {Phlox condcusata) grew in the shade of the rock. 



A bright reddish humming-bird rested on my shoulder. The 

 butterflies flew with swift steady strokes, and were impossible 

 to secure when on the wing. A large black Papilio flew past 

 fluttering for a moment over the rock monument which marked 

 the highest point of the mountain. The Parnassius smintheus 



struggles with the high winds which usuallv prevail in these 



