F. GEOGRAPHY. 257 



NATUEAL-HISTORY EXPLORATIONS OF THE NOETHEEN BOTJND- 



AEY SUEYEY. 



Dr. Elliott Coues, the naturalist of the Northern Bound- 

 ary Survey, under Mr. Archibald Campbell, lately returned, 

 bringing large collections in various departments of zoology, 

 promising to be of much interest when elaborated. The ex- 

 pedition took the field the 1st of June, at Pembina, Dako- 

 ta, where Dr. Coues spent six weeks collecting. The wooded 

 river bottom afibrded excellent field for Avork, yielding a 

 great variety of objects, the season, too, being most favorable 

 for operations, especially regarding the breeding of birds. 

 The fauna here was found to be essentially eastern, contain- 

 ing but a very slight admixture of western or middle prov- 

 ince forms, such as Sturnella neglecta^ Spizella pallida, and 

 Scolecophagus cyanocephalus. Proceeding w^estward about 

 the 15th of July, Dr. Coues encountered the peculiar west- 

 ern prairie fauna immediately after crossing the Pembina 

 Mountains, a low range about thirty miles west of the Red 

 River. Here the most abundant and characteristic birds 

 were Centronyx bairdii, Aiithus spraguei, and PUctrophanes 

 OTiiatus; the two first usually accounted very rare, as is the 

 Coturniculus leco7itH, also obtained. The prairie for some 

 distance is only broken by Turtle Mountain, a large iso- 

 lated elevation, some thirty miles long, lying on the 49th 

 parallel, some five hundred feet above the surrounding coun- 

 try. This altitude, joined with the latitude, occasioned the 

 presence and breeding of various ducks and waders, which 

 mostly go farther north for the purpose. Some distance be- 

 yond, the Souris, or Mouse River, twice crosses the parallel of 

 49, running past the line southerly toward the Missouri; 

 but suddenly making a large horse-shoe bend, being deflect- 

 ed to the north again, away from the Coteau de Missouri. 

 This stream again afibrded an excellent collecting-ground. 

 In September the expedition reached a point about three 

 hundred miles west of Pembina, and returned in October by 

 way of the Missouri River, striking that river at Fort Steven- 

 son. Although working nearly single-handed. Dr. Coues had 

 in every other respect excellent opportunity for making ex- 

 tensive collections and observations, every practicable facil- 

 ity being extended to him, both by the commissioner, Mr. 



