BOTANY OF THE ROUTE. 
37 
tides flowing through channels in the meadows originally formed by small brooks. The 
Willopah is navigable for about fifteen miles; the other rivers from four to twelve. There is, 
of course, a large mixture of fresh water with the salt in the bay, while, at the same time, the 
rivers are all more salt at their mouths than the Columbia, and for a proportionately much 
greater distance up them. The bottom of the bay is composed of sand, hard near its mouth, 
but becoming more and more mixed with mud towards the mouths of rivers and its south end, 
where it is too soft to bear a man’s weight. There are several hard, sandy or gravelly points 
about the bay, and isolated rocks in a few places. 
Such a variety of “stations” produces a corresponding variety of molluscous and other 
animals, which are fully spoken of elsewhere with regard to their distribution. I may remark 
that while all the same varieties of station occur in the sounds, and produce a corresponding 
series of animals, the greater depth, saltness, and more rocky bottom of those waters, favor the 
existence of many additional species. 
The immense numbers of waterfowl that frequent this bay at almost all seasons is also referred 
to in my notes on them, and it will be remarked that nearly all of them are of the same species 
as on the Atlantic coast, though some, like the pelican, reach a much more northern latitude. 
The variety of fish is apparently greater than in the Columbia, though less than in the sounds. 
A single large starfish, occasionally washed up from deep water, is the only radiate animal I 
have seen there. 
Grey’s harbor has, apparently, much-less variety of animal life than Shoal water bay. Its 
bottom is more sandy, and the water probably salter than in the bay; and I have remarked that 
the tides flow up it for forty-five miles, though it does not taste brackish at that distance up. 
The shore of the ocean, from the Columbia to Gray’s harbor, which is the only part I have 
visited, is shallow and sandy, and produces less variety of animals than might be expected from 
visiting the other waters. Though I have walked the whole distance of forty miles twice, and 
part of it oftener, and at all seasons, I have obtained little more than I did in the bay. I also 
made a voyage outside, from the Columbia to Shoalwater bay, in a small schooner, being two 
days and two nights out, but I observed nothing not before seen. 
There are several animals peculiar to the ocean, which are worthy of special reference, being 
more fully described in my notes on species elsewhere given. 
The sea otter, inhabiting the rocky coast further north and south, is the most interesting and 
important, being a close link between the otters of fresh waters and the seals, of which one or 
more species abound along the coast, and go far up the rivers Allied to these are the cetaceans, 
of which small kinds, called “humpback” and “finback” whales, are constantly to be seen 
at a distance of a mile or two from the shore, and are sometimes washed up on the beach, 
supplying a rare feast to the Indians, as well as a supply of oil to the whites. One of these, 
some years ago, is said to have entered Shoalwater bay, and spouted about there for several 
days, while the few inhabitants had no weapons to attack it with. Occasionally the large “right 
whale” is said to be washed ashore along this beach. Porpoises are common in summer, and 
enter the bays; and the species called by whalers the “killer” has been rarely washed up, 
one of them in the summer of 1855. 
Several birds are peculiar to the ocean. The albatross and several little known auks, of 
singular forms, are seen out of sight of land, but never enter the bays and rarely ever approach 
the beach, though said to be abundant on rocky islands along other parts of the coast. At 
