to Bessemer, passing in turn Douglas, Glenrock and Casper. From Bessemer, Poison Spider Creek was followed to its head near Garfield Peak in the Rattlesnake Mountains. Camp for a day was made on Wallace Creek at the foot of the peak. Up to that date, July 29, this was the richest collecting ground SO far encountered. The road from there to the Big Popo Agie river lay across a barren desert, whose few streams were dry and the occasional springs mere mud holes, strongly impregnated with alkali.

The evening of July 30, caught us at Alkali Springs, a bog so densely impregnated with salt that only the almost famished horses could swallow a mouthful, and to one or two of the animals the draught came near proving fatal. There was no grass except an occasional stalk of saltmarsh grass--Distichlis maritima and Triglochin maritima. Thirsty as every member of the party was, after an all day's drive on the burning plain, not even coffee made from such water could be swallowed. Just at sunset a diminutive shower fell, and a dusty wagon sheet was called into service to catch the precious drops. As the little pool formed in the sagging center of the canvas what delicious draughts of nectar, thickened with the dust of many days, were dipped up with the old tin cups.

At four o'clock next morning, breakfast less, the party started for Beaver Creek, twelve miles distant. Breakfasting here where water was good and abundant, even the weakened horses were somewhat revived, though feed was still very scarce. Early in the afternoon the Big Popo Agie was reached by hard effort, and here three days were spent in camp to allow the sick and famished horses to recuperate. Water and grass

were both abundant, and the horses soon showed the effect of better treatment.

August 3, the camp was moved to Lander, where a stop of twenty-four hours was made, after which the expedition proceeded to and up the Big Wind River. The route lay across the Shoshone Indian Reservation, one camp being made at Fort Washakie. It was found necessary to ford the Big Wind River thirteen times before Dubois postoffice was reached. This is the last outpost of civilization on the river and it is near this place that the trail over the Wind River Mountains through Union Pass leads off from the river.

The ascent through the pass was begun on August 10, the summit of the range being reached early on the IIth. A most varied and beautiful vegetation was present on every hand all the way up, and at the highest point in the pass, about 9,500 feet, the open parks among the Spruce groves were covered with the wildest profusion of flowers-a veritable botanist's paradise. Two full days were spent here, but that was far too short a time even though the days were considerably lengthened out by the cheerful evening and early morning campfires.. Union Peak, with its snow banks, the moist, dense copses on its slopes and the small fertile valleys at its base rivalled each other in the richness of their treasures.

The days were slipping by and the stay could not be prolonged even here, so on the 14th we turned our faces toward the three Teton peaks, whose lofty summits, though yet a hundred miles away, were seen from our present point of vantage standing out against the pellucid sky like mighty spires, their seamed and snow-flecked faces shining with a radiance possible only in such an

atmosphere as this. Over trails all but impassable, up hill and down dale, most laboriously we advanced and at last, on the 18th, camp was made in a Cottonwood grove on the banks of the Snake River in Jackson's Hole, near the foot of the Grand Teton.

Here some days were spent, during which an ascent of the Grand Teton was made. On the 20th three of us began the ascent. That night was spent on the shore of a small lake at about 9,500 feet. The next morning the more precipitous slopes were scaled, but at about 11,000 feet further progress was stopped by a frightful chasm which entirely cut off all communication with the spirelike summit that still towered above us. The descent was made more rapidly, and at nightfall on the 21st we were again in camp, loaded down with the collections of that and the preceding day.

This camp marked the most distant point reached by the expedition and on the afternoon of the 2nd the return journey was begun. The route lay up the Gros Ventre River, up Bacon Creek and over the divide separating it from Green River. On reaching Green River we camped for twenty-four hours, after which we proceeded to Cora postoffice on New Fork. At this point the route took a general south-east course, skirting the foot hills on the west of the Wind River range. The following streams were crossed in succession, viz: New Fork, Boulder Creek, East Fork, Silver, Willow, and Muddy Creeks, the Big and the Little Sandy. This brought us to South Pass City, the oldest mining camp in the Wind River Mountains, thirty miles south of Lander.

At this point, on September 1, the writer found it necessary to sever his connection with the expedition and

return to Laramie. Mr. Cordiner remained with the party, and, although it was becoming late in the collecting season and the route lay through a rather barren region, made doubly so by the large flocks of sheep that had been driven over the range, yet a number of interesting species were secured, but unfortunately, most of this material was lost by the burning of a car in the Laramie yards the night of its arrival.

The writer was in the field eight weeks and two days and the other members of the party ten weeks and three days. During this extended trip 900 numbers were made (including some that were secured after the return to Laramie), which, added to the 300 collected during the spring, made 1,200 numbers for the season of 1894. These were all collected in duplicate, ten or more sheets of each number being prepared whenever the material could be procured. This omniverous collecting resulted in quite a percentage of duplicates, so that the actual number of species, not counting forms, was probably not much above 1,000.

1895.

In 1895 it was not found possible to spend even the whole of the vacation in the field but all available time

was utilized during the entire season. Especial effort was directed toward procuring such species as were not secured in 1894, and it seemed wise to concentrate effort upon a much more limited area. To this end four expeditions were planned and carried out.

The first one left Laramie June 27, going to the east and working Pole Creek, Table Mountain and adjacent territory, 103 species being secured. The second left Laramie July 25, camp being established at Cummins

City, from which point the surrounding mountains and valleys were scoured and resulted in 123 numbers. The third expedition left for Laramie Peak, seventy-five miles distant, on August 3 and returned with 117 numbers. The fourth made two camps, one in the Centennial Valley and one at the La Plata Mines near the summit of the Medicine Bow (Snowy) range. From these two points adjacent territory was worked and yielded 192 species, many of them quite rare.

Besides the above species, there were collected at various times during the season 135 numbers, making a total for 1895 of 670 numbers. As these were all in duplicate, approximately in tens, the total number was near 6,700.

Of the 670 species about one-half are new as compared with the collections of 1894.

PLANT ZONES.

Recent writers have made much of plant zones as limited by given lines of elevation. There is, no doubt, considerable truth in the theory that fairly well marked belts are found, but I think it is possible to overestimate the importance as well as the distinctiveness of such zones. There are so many other factors that enter into the problem, such as moisture, soil and exposure that its solution becomes peculiarly difficult. The zones sink and rise in conformity as much with the configuration of the land, the absence or presence of arboreal vegetation, the character of the soil and the amount of moisture as in respect to the altitude. The monotony of the grassy plain gives place to a veritable garden if but a few clay hummocks or stony points and ravines interrupt its interminable length. Seven thousand feet with one ex