Oe TATE PMN OT

34 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA.

Alpine plants. - more or less stunted. The first named thrives moderately well, but
often forks upward, departing in this respect fromits habit in the lower
regions. The second is not so common; and the last appears to be most

ee

hardy, growing stout, and with many low wide branches sweeping the
ground. The smaller plants are of quite arctic appearance, and are
seen in many places springing up in successive crops along the retreat-
ing edges of the snow. A peculiar white Caltha, (C. leptosepala), a
fianunculus (R. macranthus) with Kalmia glauca (var. microphylla), and
oceasionally Spiranthes and Ledum latifolium, thrive; in warmer situa-
tions a species of heath-like Menziesia (M. empetriformis) with Andromeda
cupressina, were abundant.

Bella one The trail was here scarcely visible, but our Indian guide knowing the

E country, led confidently on, and brought us at length to the northern

brink of the great gorge of the Bella Coola Valley. Here he stopped,

| and told us it was utterly impossible to descend into the Bella Coola

Valley with animals, or to follow the trail along its bottom to Na-coont-

loon as I had hoped to do. He had apparently mistaken my intention

in coming this way, thinking I wished merely to see the Bella Coola

Turn toward § Valley and return as we had come. This being the case, it was decided

Necoont loon. to return some miles down the Tahyesco, and then strike off directly

toward Na-coont-loon south of the Tsi-tsutl Range, the Indians having

before told me that the country there was practicable. We crossed the

rocky ridge on the east side of the valley, travelling often for consider-

able distances over old snow banks, hard enough to support the mules,

and in some places ruddy from the growth of Protococcus nivalis, and

camped at an elevation of about 4,357 feet, near a small lake called Ta-

ba-tas-kun by the Indians. About one-tenth of the surface was here

i covered with snow. A very remarkable peak, (Mackenzie’s “ stupen-

| dous mountain,” p. 316) towers above the Bella Coola Valley on the
southern side. Its Indian name is Chil-a-thlum-dinky.

a hictapa July 16.—Travelled eastward near the junction of igneous flows of the

eee. Tsi-tsutl Range, with the older underlying rocks, making nearly eleven

miles in the day’s march. A mile and a-half from our morning camp

came to a small lake called Si-ka-ta-pa, where our guide hoped to find

a trail leading to Na-coont-loon, and where the “saghalie ” trail from

Tanyabunkut descends the southern slope of the Tsi-tsutl Mountains, in

its course to Bella Coola. This “saghalie ” or mountain trail I had

! originally intended our guide to follow. It is evidently that by which

| Sir Alexander Mackenzie reached the Bella Coola Valley, and Si-ka-ta-pa

is probably the lake he describes on p. 316 of his narrative, which was

SR Ee eee ERENT