Jan., 1908 NOTES FRO5I THE DIARY OF A NATI'RALIST IN NORTHERN CALIF. 37 for a 24-hour stage ride to Crescent City. For most of the morning we traversed a plain, thinly timbered with yellow pine and oak, and interspersed with Ceanothus and manzanita. Jack-rabbits were common and a venturesome coyote narrowly escaped a shot from Gaut's rifle. An exciting stage ride in the dark, where the stage lamps gave fleeting views of deep gorges and sudden turns, all passed at a quick trot, brought us about 3 A. ?r. to Adams. There we changed stages, and after vainly trying to get some sleep, we gave up the attempt and watched the daylight slowly creep into the heavy redwood forest, which we had but recently entered. The weird, impression- istic effects in this dim light were truly fascinating and baffle description. The huge trunks of the redwoods, some of them as wide as the length of the stage, grew out of fern beds as high as a man. emerged upon the plain where Crescent City was situated, in order to better enjoy the fas- cinating experience. After a hasty breakfast we took an- other stage for Smith River, about 12 miles to the north- east, which place we reached at noon. The trees and shrubbery in the Pacific Coast humid belt on which we worked from now on grew with almost tropical luxuriance. Heavy moss hung to the trees, and fallen logs were completely covered with it. The thickets were al- most impenetrable. The air was mild and spring-like, and nothing could surpass in pleasure outdoor life in this region. We spent until Octo- ber 18 in the vicinity of Cres- cent City and Smith River, and then took a charming stage ride thru dense redwood forests to Requa, a cluster of houses at the mouth of the We followed the stage on foot, until the road BURNT REDWOODS NEAR SMITH RIVER, CALIFORNIA Klamath River. The flora was much the same in this region traversed as at Crescent City and Orick. The highest point on the stage-road between Requa and Crescent City is 1280 feet. On October 19 we resumed our journey to Orick at daylight, and the same general character of country was met. The stage follows along high precipitous cliffs, at whose base is the ocean. A strange spectacle seen in these dense redwood for- ests is a huckleberry bush, grown in the top of a broken off tree, sometimes at a height of 100 feet. We reached Orick about 12 o'clock and that afternoon set out a long line of traps. Here was a clearing in the dense redwoods making a favorable site for our work. The highest point between Requa and Orick is 940 feet. On Oc- tober 21 at noon we began another beautiful drive thru the redwoods, and by nightfall we were at Trinidad. This region was not suitable to our work so next
