The British Association at Winnipeg. 371 
(deciduous forest and river bank vegetation), and to Hedingly, the 
latter being situated on uncultivated prairie. 
But naturally the most enjoyable excursion was that to the 
Pacific Coast. The time (some nine or ten days) occupied by this 
was far too short, but in spite of this, the botanists were able to 
gather some valuable impressions of the general character of the 
diverse vegetation passed during the journey. After all, there is 
perhaps an element of truth in the dictum of Stevenson, that “A 
country rapidly passed through under favourable auspices may 
leave upon us a unity of impression that would only be disturbed if 
we stayed longer.” 1 
For several days after leaving Winnipeg, we journeyed west¬ 
wards over the vast prairie. Though numerous Asters, Solidagos, 
&c., were in flower, the prevalent colours were different shades of 
brown, broken at frequent intervals by the green of bushland, or 
the deep crimson of “ alkali ” patches. The latter are abundant in 
shallow depressions on the prairie, and contain such plants as 
Salicornia herbacea, Suceda linearis, A triplex, &c. 
The Rocky and the Selkirk Mountain ranges, with their 
magnificent conifer forests, formed a pleasing contrast to the less 
ambitious scenery of the plains. Some of the more abundant 
Conifers forming these forests were Picea Engelmanni, Pseudotsuga 
Douglasii, Tsuga Merten si ana, Pinus monticola, and further to the 
westward, Thuja plicata. 
The special train made considerable stops at Banff, Laggan and 
Glacier, so that in addition to enjoying the grandeur of the scenery, 
we had an opportunity of examining the characteristic vegetation at 
somewhat closer quarters. 
Here and there, right along the track of the Canadian Pacific 
Railway, great tracts of forest exhibited nothing but bare and 
blackened trunks, which bore witness to the frequency and extent 
of disastrous forest fires. Vegetation soon springs up after these 
fires, but it is long before the Conifers recover their earlier 
supremacy. The first stages of tree-succession in this region, appear 
to consist chiefly of Populus trenmloides and Salix rostrata. 
On reaching Vancouver, the party at once proceeded by boat 
to Victoria. Here the land vegetation had a more English 
appearance than any we had hitherto seen. Several of the botanists 
spent an enjoyable morning in a boat, examining magnificent groves 
1 R. L. Stevenson, in “ An Autumn Effect.” 
