THE RIVER FLOODS The Sierra rivers are flooded every spring by the melting of the snow as regularly as the famous old Nile.

They begin to rise in May, and in June high-water mark is reached.

But because the melting does not go on rapidly over all the fountains, high and low, simultaneously, and the melted snow is not reinforced at this time of year by rain, the spring floods are seldom very violent or destructive.

The thousand falls, however, and the cascades in the canons are then in full bloom, and sing songs from one end of the range to the other.

Of course the snow on the lower tributaries of the rivers is first melted, then that on the higher fountains most exposed to sunshine, and about a month later the cooler, shadowy fountains send down their treasures, thus allowing the main trunk streams nearly six weeks to get their waters hurried through the foot-hills and across the lowlands to the sea.