as minnows and stickle-backs, to fresh water must be done gradually if we wish a happy result; in this process we have an example to follow, set by nature herself, for there are instances of bodies of what were once salt waters, so freshening by degrees that they still retain seals and certain marine animals. We may find crabs in the Charles River at some distance above Cambridge, and they may be kept alive and in health for a length of time in the fresh-water aquarium.

The system of artificial aëration and that of producing an ebb and flow in the marine aquarium have been practiced with success in large collections of aquaria.

The value of the aquarium as a means of instruction cannot be overestimated, affording as it does the opportunity of studying the habits of aquatic animals in a manner attainable by no other means, and giving to all an inducement to pursue further the study of natural history which will be a pleasure throughout life.

A SKETCH OF THE TRUCKEE AND HUMBOLDT

VALLEYS.

BY W. W. BAILEY.

SINCE the opening of the Pacific Railroad all have had their attention more or less turned to that vast region lying between the Sierra Nevada and the Rocky Mountains. It is known as the Great Basin; but if, misled by the name, we conceive merely of a boundless valley, more or less desolate, we shall arrive at a somewhat erroneous conclusion. It is indeed a depression between the two giant ranges of the continent, but traversing this are successive parallel mountain chains with a north and south trend, and only inferior in altitude to the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra. Indeed, according to our eastern notions, the whole so-called basin is but a broad

mountain top, as no portion of it is below four thousand feet. Notwithstanding the general sterility of the soil it will be seen, as I proceed, that it sustains quite an extensive and peculiar flora. With the belief that a brief sketch of this unique region will be of interest to naturalists I have ventured to present the results of my observations.

My first botanical rambles were along the banks of the Truckee River, which has its source in Lake Tahoe, a lovely sheet of pure, cold and clear water, situated on the eastern boundary of California. From this Alpine lake the little river flows into the Great Basin and waters some of the best farming lands in Nevada. It is a narrow and rapid stream, mostly shallow, and with a rocky or sandy bottom. At intervals nature has adorned its banks with groves of cottonwood (Populus monilifera). It is sincerely to be hoped that these noble trees will be spared by the rapacious wood-choppers, as in a country so meagre in its sylva, a green thing, if it be but a shrub, is cheering to the spirit, and a full-sized tree is a positive delight. The size of these poplars, and the wide spread of their branches, render them especially welcome to the traveller, who, parched and weary, seeks refuge within their shade.

In speaking of the plants of Nevada it is convenient to classify them much as they are distributed in nature, and we find that according to their location they naturally fall into three grand divisions:

1st. The plants of the river bottoms and margins of irrigating canals.

2d. Those found on the desert plains at a distance from

water.

3d. Those of the mountains.

These main divisions for ease in study may again be subdivided into sections almost as naturally marked, namely: A marginal section immediately contiguous to the rivers or lakes.

A meadow tract, moistened generally by artificial irriga

tion or by streams descending from the mountains, and usually dry in the summer months.

A desert section proper and one more particularly pertaining to the alkaline flats and vicinity of saline springs.

Lastly, the flora of the mountains is naturally divided into two distinct fields, according as the plants grow in the cañons in the vicinity of water, or flourish on the higher and more exposed regions where in the summer months little or no moisture is obtained, unless from an accidental shower, or by direct condensation from the atmosphere. Of course these divisions are more or less arbitrary and shade the one into the other. Following the above order we observe that on the Truckee there are a few plants immediately bordering the river and small streams which have apparently been drifted from above with soil and debris swept off by floods. The original habitat of some of these plants, I presume to be the neighborhood of Lake Tahoe, although no definite data can be given in support of such an opinion without an examination of the flora near the source of the stream. Still, certain plants which I always found on sandy shoals and islands in the Truckee, and nowhere else, lead me to this conclusion. Seeds, too, have undoubtedly been transferred from place to place through the same medium; but whether, with the exceptions just mentioned, the prevalent plants have advanced from the east or the west, I am not prepared to say. It would require for the study more time and larger experience than it was my lot to bestow upon it. The species of plants found along the Truckee at one camp differed but slightly from those discovered at another, preserving a close resemblance to each other as far as Wadsworth, the limit of my investigations. It would be tedious and uninteresting to read a list of the plants found in this region, a more correct account of which will, I hope, soon be given to the public by one more competent to treat of them, and I shall therefore only mention such as are conspicuous to the traveller as he passes by, or such as have a positive or

possible industrial value. Among the smaller plants a species of mint is common, and a hemp from which the Pi-Ute Indians make their bow strings. There is also a highly ornamental species of sunflower (Helianthus), well worthy of cultivation, as its smaller and more brilliant flowers render it more attractive than the grosser garden form. The Mexican Poppy (Argemone Mexicana), is occasionally seen, and a thistle, which I consider unequalled in beauty. The delicately cut leaves look as if formed of silver, and the flower resembles a paint-brush charged with scarlet lake. I have before mentioned the fine groves of cottonwoods, but in addition to these a fringe of willows is often found along the stream, and a mingled thicket of "Buffalo berry" (Shepherdia argentea), Roses (Rosa blanda), and other shrubbery. The bright berries of the Shepherdia and scarlet lips of the rose present a pleasing appearance, contrasted, as they are, with the silvery leaves of the former plant. When the roses are in bloom the effect must be even more charming.

Near Hunter's Station the river flows through extensive meadows producing abundance of hay and vegetables. The native grasses are mostly grown, but our own wellknown "Timothy" (Phleum pratense), has been introduced to some extent, and is always much prized. This valley and that of the Carson form decidedly the richest portion of the state. The meadows are bounded by Washoe Peak, an outlying spur of the Sierra, by the Pea-vine mountains (so-called from the frequency with which the lupines or wild peas are met with on its sides), and a range lying to the east on which is situated Virginia City. That town, however, is not visible from the river. Washoe Peak is of very great height, and frequently shows snow upon its summit even in midIt is a splendid mountain in form and color, and is especially admirable when the clouds which droop over its snowy sides, are suffused with California's own golden tints. After leaving this fertile valley, the Truckee enters a narrow gorge between high rocky hills, often beautiful in the colors

summer.

of their exposed strata and always in the graceful outline of their summits. Upon the higher portions only of these hills grows the juniper (Juniperus occidentalis), the chief and best firewood of this region, where fuel is so scarce that during the winter of my sojourn, wood sold as high as thirty dollars in gold in Virginia City. The cottonwoods are also sometimes used for fuel by those residing near the river, together with drift wood brought down from the Sierra. The lower slopes inclining to the stream support only the scraggy sage brush (Artemisia). Yet even in this narrow defile the farming lands are excellent, and are occupied and cultivated by thrifty settlers. The Truckee after flowing in a general easterly direction as far as Wadsworth, suddenly bends and following a north-west course empties into Pyramid Lake. This is a sheet of water about thirty-five miles in length and ten or twelve in width at the widest part. There are many small and steep rocky islands in the lake, some of them covered with an arborescent tufa resembling coral in its appearance. One very abrupt, pyramidal island gives its name to the lake which was discovered and partially explored by Fremont. The islands are the temporary home of pelicans and other sea fowl, who frequent them in the breeding season, and share the rocky soil with numerous rattlesnakes and lizards. Near the mouth of the river the land is good though subject to overflows, which while they fertilize the soil for future growth, often jeopardize the present crops. This land is held as a reservation by the Pi-Ute Indians, but even this remnant of their once broad acres is coveted by the neighboring whites. The lake is surrounded by mountains, and the lands removed from the water are of little or no value unless artificially irrigated.

Just before its embouchure the Truckee throws off a branch which supplies Winnemucka Lake, parallel to Pyramid, but separated from it by a narrow strip of highlands and mountain ridges. This lake is rarely found on any but the most recent maps and we are led to wonder how it could