NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 343 



There are numerous other cold and warm springs that issue from the sur- 

 face in every direction, but not deep or large enough to give a fair average 

 temperature. The water of these springs deposits on the surrounding ground 

 and stones a saline efflorescence of a pure white, and with a soda or saline 

 taste. Several of the hot springs are continually depositing a tufa, which has 

 formed around them all dome-shaped hillocks, with basin-like cavities in the 

 centre, from which the water, mingled with a constant rush of bubbles of gas, 

 boils up like a seething caldron. The waters have an acid taste not unpleas- 

 ant, with decidedly chalybeate qualities, which approximate it very much to 

 the famed Congress Springs of Saratoga, N. Y. Iron is deposited by several 

 of the springs, giving a reddish tinge to the tufa. The springs are situated from 

 three to thirty feet above the level of Soda Creek, a clear cold mountain stream, 

 with gravelly bed ; for a long distance below the springs, the gravel in the bar 

 and bed of Soda Creek are cemented by the tufa deposited by the hot springs. 

 It has evidently been always a place of resort for the mountain sheep (Ovis mon- 

 tana,) mountain goat (Capra Amer.) and buffalo (Bison Amer.) who delight to 

 lick the incrustations and drink the waters of these springs. This is shown by 

 their numerous bones found above and under ground near the springs. Indeed, 

 as late as Jul}' 3d, 1860, three mountain sheep were killed near these springs. 

 In the springs, both hot and cold, confervas and a few grasses grow ; no fish, how- 

 ever, are found in them; no Crustacea except perhaps one about 1^ inches long, 

 which is found in the hot springs, and which has a hard covering and rudiment- 

 ary legs. This insect, crustacean, or whatever it may be, is very much of 

 the color, size and shape of the kind found in Great Salt Lake, by Captain 

 Fremont, in 1843 44. 



The flora of the neighboring region to these springs is rather scanty, 

 and comprises the following more common species : 

 Juniperus communis. Sesleria dactyloides. 



Juniperus virginianus. Bromus, sp. undet. 



Pinus variabilis. Poa, " " 



Pinus fraseri. Elymus hystrix. 



Salix tristis. Helianthus, sp. undet. 



Populus angulata. Aster, 2 sp. undet. 



Populus tremuloides. Cynoglossum, sp. undet. 



Alnus incana. ^Euchroma coccinea. 



Cornus sericea. ^Cactus opuntia. 



Solidago secunda ? Astragalus, 3 sp. 



Stanleyi integrifolia. Baptisia, 1 gp. undet. 



Camelina, 1 sp. Sisymbrium, 1 sp. 



Draba, 2 sp. Barbarea, 1 sp. 



Calochortus luteus. Fragaria virginiana. 



Sorbus, sp. undet. Rubus spectabilis. 



Spiraea, " " " idaeus. 



Rosa, " " Ribes floridum. 



Vaccinium, sp. undet. Ribes, 2 sp. undet. 



What, however, renders the locality of the Hot Soda Springs still more re- 

 markable, aside from their singular character, and the picturesque scenery 

 of their surrounding location, is the following fact recently developed : 



About the last days of September, 1800, two miners, who had been for two 

 months and a half opening a mining^ claim about 200 yards S. W. of the springs 

 and at the foot of the hill marked on the map^oda Hill, reached at last in the 

 gravel, boulders and rocky deposits of Soda Bar, a depth of 22 feet; here at 

 this depth and about 3 yards from the foot of the hill slope, they found a human 

 skeleton, lying on its face and imbedded in a deposit of gravel, sand, small 

 boulders, and fragments of the adjacent rock in situ, which from 2 feet below 

 the surface in this locality yields a very fine rich quality of coarse gold. The 

 skeleton, all whose larger bones, though very light and porous, were yet intact, 

 and whose skull was also entire, was in a very tolerable state of preservation 



1866.J 



