a second effort at beautification.

Another ceanothus, commonly called mountain birch, is often found.
When in abundance and in full flower it makes a mountain side appear
as if covered with drifted snow.

Willows abound in the canyons and on the mountains of the Tahoe
region, and they are an invariable sign of the near presence of water.

There is scarcely a canyon where alders, cottonwoods and quaking
aspens may not be found. In 1913 either the lack of water, some
adverse climatic condition, or some fungus blight caused the aspen
leaves to blotch and fall from the trees as early as the beginning of
September. As a rule they remain until late in October, changing to
autumnal tints of every richness and hue and reminding one of the
glorious hues of the eastern maples when touched by the first frosts
of winter.

No one used to exploring dry and desert regions, such as the Colorado
and Mohave Deserts of Southern California, the Grand Canyon region,
the Navajo Reservation, etc., in Arizona and New Mexico, the constant
presence of water in the Tahoe region is a perpetual delight. Daily
in my trips here I have wondered at the absence of my canteen and
sometimes in moments of forgetfulness I would reach for it, and be
almost paralyzed with horror not to find it in its accustomed place.
But the never-ending joy of feeling that one could start out for a
day's trip, or a camping-out expedition of a week or a month and never
give the subject of water a moment's thought, can only be appreciated
by those who are direfully familiar with the dependence placed upon
the canteen in less favored regions.

CHAPTER XXXII

HOW TO DISTINGUISH THE TREES OF THE TAHOE REGION

By "trees" in this chapter I mean only the evergreen trees--the pines,
firs, spruces, hemlocks, cedars, junipers and tamaracks. Many visitors
like to know at least enough when they are looking at a tree, to tell
which of the above species it belongs to. All I aim to do here is to
seek to make clear the distinguishing features of the various
trees, and to give some of the more readily discernible signs of the
different varieties of the same species found in the region.

It must not be forgotten that tree growth is largely dependent upon
soil conditions. The soil of the Tahoe region is chiefly glacial
detritus.

On the slopes and summits of the ridges it is sandy, gravelly,
and liberally strewn with masses of drift bowlders. The flats
largely