564 NATURAL HISTORY. 
terminating in pyramidal points, or resembling towers, mina- 
rets, etc. ‘Thus is every thing in these regions peculiar. To 
indemnify man for the inhospitable deserts and barren soil 
which occupies so large a space, nature furnishes, embowelled 
in her innumerable mountains, the greatest variety and abund- 
ance of precious metals. The vast riches embedded in the 
great “Sierra Madre” are as yet little dreamt of; but I do 
not hesitate to say that for wealth of this description even 
California will yet have to yield the palm to these mountains. 
Without entering into particulars about the variety of 
fishes brought home, I will merely observe, that while at San 
Diego, California, in May, 1852, Dr. Webb caused a seine to 
be drawn in the bay, which brought to light some exceedingly 
interesting specimens, and among them several which, on being 
opened for the purpose of better preserving them in alcohol, 
were found, to our great surprise, to contain each ten or twelve 
living young. ‘They excited much attention at the time, 
being the first evidence brought to light, as far as we were 
aware, of the existence of viviparous fishes. 
The public has been informed of the subsequent discovery 
of similar fishes in the Bay of San Francisco ; but of those 
found by us in the Bay of San Diego no description has yet 
been given. Our specimens, after being kept alive in water 
several days, were sent with other objects of natural history to 
Boston, where they safely arrived. 
