cation of silurian or paleozoic rocks, though the earliest labors of the survey tended to the conclusion that such was not the case. Since the discoveries made in Mariposa county, the belt of jurassic rocks has been traced as far north as the Stanislaus river, fossils having been found at several intermediate points; and enough is now known to establish the fact, that the great metamorphic belt flanking the Sierra, is made up of triassic and jurassic strata, with a comparatively small development of carboniferous limestone; and that the occurrence of gold in paying quantities in California seems to be confined to strata of these ages. Lassen's Peak, at the extreme northwest corner of Plumas county, consists of an imperfect flattened cone of volcanic ashes and débris, through which project sharp ridges of trachyte, rising to a height of two thousand feet from a gently sloping plateau of gray lava. No crater remains on the summit, but they are to be seen on the tops of numerous smaller cones rising from the volcanic tables in the vicinity. Traces of glacial action are to be found on all sides of this peak, between points six and nine thousand feet in elevation. Glaciers have covered its slopes and descended towards the head-waters of the streams, the cañons of which now afford such stupendous examples of denudation, they being in places more than three thousand feet deep. The northeastern portion of the State, as already remarked, is largely covered by lava-one almost continuous area of nearly ten thousand square miles being thus overlaid. It was Mt. Shasta is an enormous volcanic mass, and forms one of the grandest objects of California scenery. It is a symmetrical cone with. steep slopes, and sharp summit, rising to an altitude of 14,442 feet. The upper six thousand feet are covered with perpetual snow. for a time supposed that this was the highest summit in California, but the explorations of the State Geological Survey, in the regions of the high Sierra, between the parallels of 35° and 39° have demonstrated the fact that there are other peaks yet higher. In the northern counties the auriferous rocks are similar in their lithological characters to those of the metamorphic belt passing through the principal mining counties already described. No fossils have been found within the State north of 41°. The series expands to the westward, and north of the Klamath river, extending quite to the coast. In the counties north of the great valley placer mines have been. worked, and furnished in the aggregate a large amount of gold; quartz veins have also been developed here to some extent. The country is exceedingly rough, and as yet but thinly settled, much of it not being thoroughly explored. Mountains ranging from six to eight thousand feet in height are not uncommon in this region. The higher summits west of the Sacramento river are granitic, while those to the east are of volcanic origin. To the State Geological Survey we are indebted for full descriptions and accurate measurements of several high peaks situated in the Sierra Nevada range, between 35° and 390, though the number and great altitude of these summits had been previously noted. The culminating point, Mount Whitney, near latitude 36° 30', is about 15,000 feet high, while within a radius of thirty miles are numerous peaks rising 14,000 feet and over. These are all granite, which here forms the mass of the chain, eighty miles or more in width. We have in this portion of the range by far the grandest mountain scenery to be found in the State. Cañons from three to six thousand feet deep are not uncommon in this region. Above an altitude of 4,000 feet evidences of previously existing glaciers on an enormous scale are to be seen, in the frequent occurrence of large areas of polished rocks, and of moraines. Smooth surfaces are especially frequent at heights varying from 6,000 to 11,000 feet. To an elevation of 9,000 feet the slopes are covered with forests of heavy timber. Above that altitude, and to a height of 10,000 or 11,000 feet, the stunted growth of alpine species is found; while below, four thousand feet, we have the scattered forests of oak and pine, and the dry foot-hills that border the great San Joaquin valley. The Yosemite valley lies in the granitic part of the chain. Ice and water have, no doubt, been the chief agents in the formation of this wonderfully grand and singular gorge; though it is highly probable that other causes may have operated with these to impress upon it its peculiar configuration. The high peaks near Mono Lake are of metamorphic slates belonging to the eastern flank, and are marked by more rounded outlines than the granite summits further south. Mount Dana and Castle Peak are each about 13,000 feet in elevation-the summit of the former being readily accessible. The water from the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada, north of 35°, as far as the Oregon line, flows into closed valleys, or basins without outlets to the sea. East of the Sierra Nevada, therefore, we have a long line of lakes bordering the chain. Sometimes the water sinks into the sands of the desert. Some of these interior basins or valleys lie at a high elevation, while others-like Death Valley-are known to be below the level of the sea. The water of the lakes is generally intensely saline, and the lakes themselves show evidences of quite recent changes of level. Large areas, now dry, have been formerly occupied by lakes or inland seas, which may have had their greatest developments during the existence of gigantic glaciers, the marks of which are so abundant throughout the high Sierra. But comparatively little is known of the geology of the Great Basin, it being a vast and almost unexplored desert, which is also the case with the southeastern portion of California, covering an area of about thirty thousand square miles. Geologically, the Sierra Nevada probably includes other mountain chains, lying to the east in the Great Basin, though it is doubtless older than the Rocky Mountain chain. From geological evidence, we know that its upheaval took place before any of the Coast Ranges were formed; or, in other words, after the deposition of the jurassic, and previous to that of the cretaceous era. 28 CHAPTER VII. ZOOLOGY. General Plan. MAMMALIA: Bears-Raccoon--Skunks-Glutton--Fisher-Marten-Weasel Otter-Cougar-Jaguar-Ocelot-Wild Cats-Wolf-Coyote- Foxes-Sea Lions and Seals-Sea Elephant-Shrews-Bats-Beaver-Marmots--Squirrels-Rats-Gophers Porcupine --Hares-Elk-Deer-Antelope-Bighorn-Whales and Porpoises. BIRDS: Paysano-Cuckoo-Woodpeckers-Eagles-Hawks-Owls-Vultures-Crows-Magpies Ducks -Pelicans-Cormorants-Albatross --Fulmars-Petrels-Gulls-Loons--Grebes fish. THE ANIMALS OF CALIFORNIA. MOLLUSCA : The following is a brief systematic enumeration of the vertebrated animals of California, intended to show, as far as the allotted space will permit, how many and what sorts of creatures we have, of the four highest classes. Their scientific names are given, so that those who seek further information may find it in books which treat of them, and in which the English names are often omitted or used differently. The latter are notoriously uncertain, the same being often given to different animals, and different names to the same animal in various regions, some instances of which are here mentioned. It would be impossible to give here even a list of the invertebrate animals, and as few of them have English names, such a list would convey no information to the general reader. No complete work on the insects has yet been attempted, and the Coleoptera alone have been pretty fully described, numbering about four hundred species. The known Mollusca are nearly eight hundred species, including those of the land, fresh and salt waters. The Radiata are also as yet undetermined, but it is hoped that the Legislature will authorize the publication of complete illustrated works on all these branches, as well as those on the Vertebrates which are now being prepared by the Geological Survey. MAMMALIA. The first in rank of the animal kingdom is the class to which the name of "animals" is often improperly limited, also called "quadrupeds," although there are also numerous four-footed animals in the class of Reptiles. The name of Mammalia, or sucklers, is the only one that really defines the limits of the class, as it includes the whales, which have no legs, and the bats and seals, in which the limbs are scarcely to be called legs. Of the nine orders usually recognised in this class, three are without native representatives in California, viz: the Quadrumana, or monkeys, Pachydermata, including the hog, elephant, etc., and the Edentata, of which the armadillo and ant-eater are examples. The others are, however, abundantly represented, about one hundred and fifteen species having been found in the State or along its seaboard. ORDER CARNIVORA-FLESH-EATERS. The Grizzly Bear (1. Ursus horribilis) stands at the head of the rapacious order, although its little relative, the raccoon, is nearer the monkeys in many respects. Grizzlies were formerly numerous in nearly every county of the State, and so many accounts of their ferocious depredations have been published, that every one is sufficiently acquainted with the character of the animal. Now, however, they have become scarce in the more populous counties, the American rifle having destroyed or driven them away, and their audacity is so much diminished, that they are scarcely dangerous unless suddenly surprised in their dens, or wounded. When seen at some distance they usually walk away with a slow and dignified pace, showing that all they want is to be let alone. Their food, like that of their relatives, is in great part vegetable, and they have not, therefore, the bloodthirsty disposition of many of the more carnivorous animals. Though formerly considered untamable, they are now often seen in menageries, and show great sagacity, though too rough to be safely played with. Their skins |
