base; and in height they are nearly equal, measuring 295 feet. Time was
when, perhaps, the whole forest consisted of trees of the same size; but
many have been destroyed by fire, and the time may come when none of
those now standing will remain. The name of Wellingtonia has been given
to the species.

In the same region are numerous magnificent stalactite caverns, which
equal in beauty, if not in size, those of the Mammoth Cave of Kentucky.

There are several waterfalls, unsurpassed for picturesque beauty.

Had we time, we might pay a visit also to the gold-mines of California,
and observe the way they are worked; but we should be prevented from
giving that attention to the animal creation which is our present
object.

PART ONE, CHAPTER FOUR.

GENERAL SURVEY OF THE ZOOLOGY OF NORTH AMERICA.

Having thus obtained a bird's-eye view of the physical features of North
America, we will take a rapid survey of its zoology before we more
minutely inspect the individuals of which it consists.

In a region of extent so vast as the continent of America, reaching from
the Arctic Circle at one end far-away towards the Antarctic Ocean at the
other--with dense forests, under a tropical sun, in some parts; open
plains, lofty mountains, or a network of rivers and streams, vast lakes
and marshes, in others--we shall find all varieties of form in the
animal kingdom. This gives to its study an especial interest. While
the larger number of its members are especially local, confined in
narrow spaces between two streams, others range beyond 50 degrees and 60
degrees of latitude. The puma wanders across the plains of Patagonia,
and ravages the flocks of the settlers on the western prairies of the
United States. The reindeer feeds on the moss-covered moors of the
Arctic islands, and is chased by the hunters far south among the defiles
of the Rocky Mountains. Vast herds of bison darken the plains of New
Mexico, and reach the upper waters of the Saskatchewan. The same wild
fowl which hatch their young among the ice-surrounded cliffs of Northern
Greenland are found sporting in the lakes of Central America; while some
of the smallest of the feathered tribes, the gem-like humming-birds,
have been seen flitting through the damp mists of Tierra del Fuego,
sipping the sweets of Alpine flowers high up amid lofty peaks of the
Andes, and appearing on the hill-sides in sight of Lake Winnipeg, on the
north of Rupert's Land.

However, as