exudes from the duramen or hard wood portions. This substance in appearance, granulation and taste, resembles the manna of the drug stores, except by a slight terebinthine flavor. It is found only in small quantities, and has cathartic properties.

Pinus Coulteri,† Coulter's Pine.-Found on the eastern slope of the Coast Range in the Santa Lucia Mountains; not large; sometimes attains a height of seventy-five feet; knotty, highly ornamental; branches large and spreading; leaves a foot long, and pale sea-green in color. It is remarkable for having the largest cone of all the pinesseventeen inches in length, seven inches through, and shaped like a sugar-loaf.

Pinus Sabiniana,† (Dougl.)-This is the Nut Pine of the foot-hills, sometimes called the "Scrub Pine," "Silver Pine," or the "Digger Pine;" found on the lower slopes of both the Coast Range and Sierra Nevada, occupying the drier positions-leaves from four to ten inches long, grow in threes. The California Indians formerly gathered the nuts from its cone-they being with them a favorite article of food. The woodpecker selects them as store houses for its winter food, cutting holes in the bark and putting an acorn in each.

Pinus Monticola, Mountain Pine.-A tall tree affording fine timber, harder than the Sugar Pine, and might be preferred, if its position near the summits of the Sierra did not make it difficult of access.

Pinus Flexilis.-This pine grows in the form of a low scrubby tree on windy heighths, so stout and thick that a man can stand on its top. In low altitudes it reaches a height of one hundred feet. It is useful `only for firewood.

Pinus Monophylla.-This is a stinted, twisted tree; grows on the eastern slope of the Sierra, corresponding to the Nut Pine of the western slope. The cone is ill shaped and has an offensive odor, but yields a sweet nut. Spanish name: "piñon.

There are several species in the group of Coast Pines, viz: P. Llavena, east of San Diego; P. Deflexa, on the summit of California mountains; P. Torreyana, near San Diego; P. Balfouriana-this species is found near Scott's valley, in Northern California.

Five species of the above list, the Insignis, Muricata, Llavenea, Delflexa, and Torreynna, are peculiar to the sea coast. Five species, the Contorta, Ponderosa, Lambertiana, Sabiniana, and Tuberculata, are found both in the Coast Range and Sierra Nevada. The Coulteri is only found in the coast Range, eastern slope; the Monticola only high in the Sierra; the Flexilis only on the upper Sierra and lower slope of the same; and the Monophylla only on the eastern slope.

OAKS.

Quercus agrifolia, (Nees.), California Live Oak.-Oakland, banks of Sacramento river, Clear Lake, Russian River valley, Anderson's valley, Monterey. Foliage extremely variable, the live oak exhibiting almost every conceivable size and form of oak leaf. On river banks and its localities near the coast, where it feels the influence of the daily fogs, this tree displays much uniformity. In the valleys of the interior the shapes of the leaves of one and the same tree differ materially. In Anderson's valley there are several trees, the entire foliage of which agrees well with Dr. Kellogg's Q. morehus. On dry gravelly hill-sides in the interior this tree presents still another form, Q. Wislizeni (Eng.) As it has the habit of growing in groups, one might suppose that trees of one group, at least, should show uniformity in botanical characters; yet this does not happen, the very extremes sometimes occurring in a single group. The acorns ripen annually, and differ also essentially in shape and size. Soil, climate, and exposition, offer in this case no satisfactory explanation for so great a variation in one species. It is no doubt justly referable to some intrinsic peculiarities. This tree makes excellent firewood, and is also used for certain mechanical purposes.

Q. Garryana, (Hook.), White Oak.-On dry easterly hill-sides and in valleys on a poor, buff-colored clay. Santa Rosa valley, Clear Lake, Searsville, Anderson's valley, San José valley. Exposition and soil agree in all these localities; bark rather thin, whitish, and less coarsely rimose than any other of the California oaks. This wood possessing a fine grain, is much employed among farmers for making agricultural implements.

Quercus fulvescens, (Kellogg), Fulvous Oak, is a deciduous tree, grows about thirty feet high. The acorn, when young, is concealed in the cup, the two together resembling a little wheel; the former, when mature, is an inch and a half long, and projects considerably beyond the cup. The wood is tougher than most of the oaks of California. Banks of Canoe creek.

Quercus Kelloggii, (Newb.), Kellogg's Oak.-Is a large deciduous tree, found only in California. Its leaves are deeply sinuate, with three principal lobes on each side, terminating in several acute points. It bears fruit only in alternate years, or at least most abundantly every other year. An idea prevails that the acorns give to swine a disease of the kidneys. Hills about San Francisco and Fort Reading.

Q. Vaccinifolia, the Huckleberry-leafed Oak, is a shrub from four

to six feet high, which grows on the mountains in the northern part of the State. Its leaves in size and form resemble those of the buckleberry; the acorn is of the size and shape of a small hazel nut.

Castanea Chrysophylla, (Dougl.,) Golden-leafed Chestnut, or the Western Chinquapin. On the Oakland hills this species is from three to six feet high; blooms early in July, like the Eastern Castanea vesca, and bears perfect fruit, edible and palatable. About Mendocino City it is a large tree, averaging from fifty to one hundred and twenty-five feet in height, and from two to three feet in diameter. On the Oakland hills it grows only on the outcropping of a white friable slate, destitute of all vegetable remains. On the Mendocino plains it grows on a cemented gravel, upon which the water rests for some months. after the rainy season. The supply of an ærial moisture during the dry season is in favor of the Oakland hills, judging by the lichenose vegetation of the two localities.

Q. hindsii, (Benth), California White Oak, or Long Acorned Oak.This is the characteristic oak of California; seldom reaches a greater height than sixty feet, and in its expansive branches is often wider than it is high-measuring sometimes one hundred and twenty-five feet from side to side. This tree furnishes no straight timber, and the wood is so soft and brittle as to be of little use except for burning. The acorns are large, sometimes two and a half inches long and formerly constituted the chief article of food of the Californian Indians.

Q. Lobata, (Neés.), Burr Oak.-The most common and largest Oak of California; found in all the valleys of the interior; never outside. It is a large and beautiful tree, this being the Oak, with its peculiar drooping branches, which imparts such a picturesque charm to the landscapes of California. It is specially noted for its long acorns, usually occurring in pairs. This oak presents about the longest trunk of all California foliaceous trees. The acorn of this species is also a favorite article of food with the aboriginal races. The wood ranks next to that of the Q. Douglassii.

Q. Douglasii, (Hook.), Pale Oak, Anderson Valley. The general aspect and habit of this tree resemble very much those of Quercus lobata, with which it grows in the low flat portion of Anderson Valley. Its branchlets, however, are short, rigid and erect, while those of the Quercus lobata are most drooping. In the autumn, when laden with fruit, it presents a striking difference by having its rather pale acorns aggregated and clustered at the extremities of the branchlets. At a distance it strongly resembles a full-grown apple tree. It increases rapidly in number in Anderson Valley, from south to north, outnum

bering almost every other oak at the lower end of the valley. Its wood ranks next to that of the Q. Garryana.

The three species last above mentioned, belonging to the section of White Oaks, are sufficiently unlike in external appearance to be distinguished at a distance—the farmer readily detecting the difference by the unequal qualities of the wood.

Q. Sonomensis, (Benth.), Black Oak.-Found at San Diego, Anderson Valley, Auburn, eastern and northern hill-sides in the Coast Ranges. It also occupies the more easterly situated flats, among the redwoods. Seldom found in the valleys; when occurring there they occupy that portion adjacent to the hill-sides, where there is generally a gravelly soil. In the fall it sheds its leaves, which become buff colored, before any other of the deciduous oaks. Wood is of a poor quality, being used only for fuel.

Q. densiflora, (Hook.), Chestnut Oak.-Along the Coast Range increases towards the north, from Santa Cruz to Mendocino City; occurs only in or near the redwoods. This tree attains a considerable height in dense woods, and is then but sparingly branched; leaves and acorns rather abundant; the wood is coarse-grained, wet and spongy when first cut, and hence, like the redwood, is by some termed Water Oak. The bark is very rich in tannin, and is extensively used for the curing of hides. The wood is extremely perishable.

Q. Chrysolepis, (Liebm.), Drooping Live Oak.—The most rare of all our oaks; it bears acorns but seldom and sparingly; found near Cloverdale, in Auburn Valley, and near Forest Hill; thirty to forty feet high, with a rather smooth whitish bark, and mostly long, slender, drooping branches-evergreen. The tree being rare, and occupying moist slopes along the gulches, is not often cut down.

CEDARS.

Libocedrus decurrens, (Torr.), the California White Cedar.-This noble and hardy evergreen is reported on the Klamath mountains at five thousand feet elevation, and also on Scott river, in sandy soils, growing from forty to one hundred and forty feet high, and from five to seven feet in diameter. It is found also at Forest Hill, forming quite extensive forests there; Rancheria creek, Mendocino county; east of Salinas river, Monterey county; and east of San Diego. As the peculiar form of this tree is little known, it may be stated that the cones are very small, oblong oval, the feathery scales in opposite pairs, face to face-a few small abortive ones at the base; leaves awl-pointed-little