Mar., 1919 .?'?" SUMMER BIRDS OP HAZELTON, BRITISH COLUMBIA 81 of all the northern parts of British Columbia, and on the line of the old Yukon telegraph line, Hazelton formerly enjoyed somewhat greater commercial im- portance than it does now, as but one of many stations on a transcontinental railroad system. It still remains, however, an important distribution center for the country to the north. Though geographically far north and in a lati- tude that in the east would exhibit arctic characters, the region about Hazel- ton is purely Canadian zone in its zoological and botanical aspects, though close to the HudsonJan boundary. It is situated at the inner edge of the coast range, Fig. 19. THE BULKLEY RIVER, FROM THE SUSPENSION BRIDGE AI NEW HAZELTON, BRITISH COLUMBIA. the lower altitude at about 800 feet. The surroundings are mountainous, Roche de Brull, the highest mountain in the vicinity, rising 9000 feet above the sea level, while lesser elevations above the valley are numerous. The valleys are clothed with a dense growth of poplar, cottonwood and hemlock, with num- erous Douglas firs and occasional particularly fine example.s of birch. The mountain sides are mostly covered with Douglas fir, balsam and spruce. The upper limit of timber comes at about 5000 feet elevation. The whole country has suffered severely from fire, and, as a result, much of it is almost impassable with tangled second growth and fallen timber, making progress except along
