lO 



THE MUSEUM. 



impossibe for a team and wagon to 

 traverse some uf these roads. 



From Idaho Falls we traveled due 

 north some 25 miles, crossing the riv- 

 er at the big butte ferry. Camp over 

 Sunday was pitched at the river here, 

 and the ascent of one of the buttes 

 was made by the entire party the past 

 summer, even the little girl, as all 

 were anxious to study a volcano. 

 Camp was pitched at an altitude of 

 48 50 feet, and the summit of the vol- 

 canic cone was just 5500, as measured 

 by our averoid barometer. The in- 

 terior is a great crater, possibly a 

 quarter of a mile in diameter, and 

 about 200 feet deep. Both the crater 

 and the outside of the cone were of 

 solid lava, worn by the weather into 

 all sorts of fantastic forms. In some 

 places the lava had crumbled, and 

 was ground up into fine dust, in which 

 various desert plants were gaining a 

 foothold. (These plants will be given 

 later). As usual on such occasions our 

 insect nets were left behind, being con- 

 sidered a useless weight. While 

 standing on the summit, photograph- 

 ing the party and scenery, and enjoy- 

 ing the grand panorama to the fullest 

 a gaudy butterfly, a Papilio, the first 

 and only one seen on the trip, flaunted 

 its bright colors in our faces, and even 

 sported around my hat. In vain a 

 chase was given. It was a lost chance. 

 Two other unknown butterflies, and 

 a beautiful dragonfly, were added to 

 the list of lost. Another loss more 

 grievous than all, was met with on 

 the descent. In turning over the lava 

 chunks a brilliant blue lizard was dis- 

 covered, about nine inches long, and 

 as quick to dodge and hide as lizards 

 usually are. It kept under a stunted 

 weed with sharp dead spines. My 



hands were badly lacerated in an at- 

 tempt to pick it up. In despair a 

 stone was held on the weed to squeeze 

 the specimen so it could be captured. 

 Careful work later brought out a few 

 short pieces of a very brittle tail, but 

 the treasure was gone. 



Our way next day led between these 

 two large buttes, across a lava region 

 that is awful in expanse and desolate- 

 ness. Until we entered the park we 

 were not destined to lose sight of lava 

 for an hour, and vast lava plains, with 

 a thin crust of soil, were traversed, ex- 

 tending on either side of the river, de- 

 void of life save an occasional jack 

 rabbit and flock of sage hens. When 

 lava is finally left behind it merely 

 gives way to rock of geyser formation, 

 lighter and softer, but still igneous, and 

 still being formed in regions of the 

 park. 



This lava region is of great interest 

 geologically. Ages ago a vast river of 

 fire poured down the center of the 

 state of Idaho. This river consisted 

 of molten lava, was 400 miles long, 

 100 miles widg, and from 300 to 900 

 feet thick. Across the corpse of this 

 mighty river of fire a river of water 

 has slowly cut a channel in several 

 places. Born in the melting snow of 

 the majestic Tetons, this river has cut 

 its way for hundreds of miles through 

 lava beds, in its course tumbling over 

 numerous precipices until the great 

 climax is reached at Shoshone falls, 

 where this mighty river makes an aw- 

 ful leap of 210 feet, a magnificent 

 spectacle, in marked contrast to the 

 desolate country on either side. 



The animal life on these lava regions 

 is not very abundant. Before coming 

 to the pines three kinds of rabbits 

 were encountered. The white-tailed 



