458 AUDUBON 



feet were red, and not yellow, as they are during autumn 

 and winter. Marmots are quite abundant, and here they 

 perforate their holes in the loose, sandy soil of the river 

 banks, as well as the same soil wherever it is somewhat 

 elevated. We do not know yet if it is Arctomys monax, or 

 a new species.^ The weather being fine, and the night 

 clear, we ran all night and on the morning of the 28th, 

 thermometer 69° to 78° at sunrise, we were in sight of 

 the seat of government, Jefferson. The State House 

 stands prominent, with a view from it up and down the 

 stream of about ten miles ; but, with the exception of the 

 State House and the Penitentiary, Jefferson is a poor place, 

 the land round being sterile and broken. This is said to be 

 160 or 170 miles above St. Louis.^ We saw many Gray 

 Squirrels this morning. Yesterday we passed under long 

 lines of elevated shore, surmounted by stupendous rocks 

 of limestone, with many curious holes in them, where we 

 saw Vultures and Eagles^ enter towards dusk Harris saw 

 a Peregrine Falcon ; the whole of these rocky shores are 

 ornamented with a species of white cedar quite satisfac- 

 torily known to us. We took wood at several places ; at 

 one I was told that Wild Turkeys were abundant and 

 Squirrels also, but as the squatter observed, " Game is very 

 scarce, especially Bears." Wolves begin to be trouble- 

 some to the settlers who have sheep ; they are obliged 

 to drive the latter home, and herd them each night. 



This evening the weather became cloudy and looked 

 like rain ; the weather has been very warm, the thermom- 

 eter being at 78° at three this afternoon. We saw a 

 pair of Peregrine Falcons, one of them with a bird in its 



1 No other species of Marmot than the common Woodchuck, Arctomys 

 monax, is known to occur in this locality. — E. C. 



2 The actual distance of Jefferson City above the mouth of the river is 

 given on the Missouri River Commission map as 145^5 miles. The name 

 of the place was once Missouriopolis. — E. C. 



^ Turkey-buzzards [Cathartes aura) and Bald Eagles {^Haliacttis latco- 

 cephalus). — E. C. 



