PARRY — PHYSIOGRAPHY OF ROCKY BITS. 2 I 5 



Middle Park, with its irregular undulations and open val- 

 leys, is seen to the west, and the seadike expanse of the 

 Plains is visible to the east ; just below us, on the north-west 

 slope, lies a deep gorge, in which the smoothly scooped bot- 

 tom and polished rocky sides plainly marked the bed of an 

 ancient glacier. Through this chasm, which is seen to pene- 

 trate deeply into the mountain mass, flow some of the ex- 

 treme sources of the St. Vrains, a sharp and abrupt divide 

 separating it from a similar gorge on the western side, which 

 leads towards the main valley of the Grand in Middle Park. 

 By this route it seemed practicable by a short tunnel to con- 

 nect the two mountain slopes, and, should the elevation on 

 either side be found accessible by easy grades from the base 

 of the mountain, the important problem of a direct railroad 

 pass, through the principal range of the Rocky Mountains, 

 would here find a practicable solution. From this elevation 

 quite a number of lakes were brought distinctly to view, scat- 

 tered at different points on the eastern slope of the moun- 

 tains, while, ten or twelve miles distant, in a north-west 

 direction, towers the rugged form of Long's Peak. The ba- 

 rometer was set up on the highest point of this snowy crest 

 by means of a temporary tripod composed of the different 

 parts of the portable case, and a series of observations were 

 made with the following mean result: Barometer, 18.502; 

 Thermometer attached, 42° F.; Thermometer detached, 35° 

 F. This gives an elevation (according to the computation 

 of Dr. Engelmann) of 13,402 feet above the sea level. We 

 supposed, at the time, that we were on a peak which is laid 

 down on recent maps as Mt. Edmonds, but finding, after- 

 wards, that we were mistaken in the point thus designated, 

 at the suggestion of my companion, Dr. J. W. Velie, we con- 

 cluded to affix to this well marked elevation the name of the 

 distinguished naturalist Audubon. 



Having thus hastily completed the necessary observations, 

 we commenced the descent at 3 P. M., and varying our route 

 somewhat by selecting a more direct and abrupt slope, by a 

 series of slips and plunges far from agreeable, we were over- 

 taken by night before reaching the farthest limits of snow ; 

 and we arranged our night bivouac on the lee side of a pre- 

 cipitous rock. Here, before a blazing fire, we made an excel- 

 lent supper of fresh ptarmigan, and enjoyed a somewhat rude 

 repose from the labors of the day. Returning from this ex- 

 cursion to our permanent camp near Osborn's Lake, a few 

 additional days were spent in exploring the adjoining coun- 

 try, and in securing specimens of its peculiar plants and ani- 

 mals. The Pond Lily of these alpine lakes was only yet 

 in bud, but the characters weie sufficiently apparent to de- 

 termine it to be an undescribed species — to which, from its 

 most characteristic feature, I have given the name Nuphar 



