Hayden.] 302 [January. 



rather prominently from the side of the hill looking toward the 

 south. A number of large springs have their origin in the l.ill 

 above it, and their streams uniting, fall over the summit of the rock, 

 forming a very beautiful little ca.scade, and at its base Spring Lake, 

 the best drinking-water and the coldest I found in Dakota. 



"The rock appeared to me the result of successive growths of moss, 

 each petrifying in its turn, and forming a base for the next growth, 

 as with my knife, the only instrument I had with me at the time, I 

 raised several layers of different thicknesses, each one showing well- 

 defined tendrils of moss, reaching through the whole substance. 

 The upper layer shows very beautifully the moss in different stages 

 of petrifaction, the process seemingly complete at its base or one side 

 as you may please to term it, while the same moss is green and grow- 

 ing upon the other. How much of this rock is thus constituted I 

 cannot say, but I think the probabilities quite strong that a large 

 portion of it is petrified." 



3. "The rock upon which are found the foot-prints is about ten 

 miles east of New Fort Sully near the right bank of a creek called 

 there the Wa-ka-bd-zhu, lying upon the side of the hill. Some six 

 or eight feet square of the rock is exposed upon which the foot- 

 prints, six in tmmber, are seen. From their size, I presume they 

 were made by a child five or six years of age, and with a well-formed 

 foot. The prints are perfect and distinct, and if natural, must of 

 course have been made while the rock was yet in a plastic state." 



Dr. Hayden remarked that the spring referred to above was of in- 

 terest to him, from the fact that he did not know of one of a sim- 

 ilar character in the Valley of the Missouri. The tracks were first 

 seen by General Harney in 1826, when as a lieutenant he ascended 

 the Missouri under General Leavenworth. Dr. Hayden had spent 

 much time in endeavoring to find the locality in former years, but 

 had failed. The causes of these phenomena are plain, and will be 

 apparent to all scientific men. 



4. Dr. Hayden also said that he had received a number of inter- 

 esting communications in regard to the geology and natural history 

 of Colorado Territory from Mr. E. L. Berthoud, a civil engineer, 

 residing at Golden City, now Speaker of the Colorado Territorial 

 Legislature. Mr. Berthoud is a good botanist and mineralogist, 

 and in his statements he placed great confidence. In a recent letter, 

 bearing date of December 18th, 186(5, he had communicated to him 

 some very interesting facts in regard to the lignite beds near Den- 



