CHAPTER. VI. 
THE GREAT PLAIN OF THE COLUMBIA—POND TURTLES AND THEIR 
NESTS—THE SAGE RABBIT—FIND CURIOUS STONEIMPLEMENTS— 
A TRADE IN FLINTS AND MARINE PRODUCTIONS AT SOME REMOTE 
PERIOD, ANDA SKULL (VIDE ILLUSTRATION ) UNALTERED BY PRESSURE 
—LEAVE WALLA-WALLA—CROSS THE SNAKE RIVER— PELOUSE 
INDIANS AND THEIR HORSES—FALLS OF THE LOWER PELOUSE—A 
DISAGREEABLE INTRUDER—PLEASANT TO SEE TREES AGAIN—SAND- 
FLIES—BREEZE-FLIES—CLARK’S CROW—THE SPOKAN RIVER — 
. WALKER’S PRAIRIE—PARRY’S GROUND-SQUIRREL—THE WAY THE 
THREB SPECIES OF GROUND-SQUIRRELS REPLACE EACH OTHER ON 
THE PLAIN—PARKMAN’S WREN AND ITS NEST—NUTHATCHES—THE 
TITS—-DEAD MAN’S PRAIRIE—ARRIVE AT FORT COLVILLE. 
Tue great plain of the Columbia over which we 
are travelling, though its name gives the impres- 
sion of a uniformly level surface, has, nevertheless, 
its mountains and valleys. Its northern boundary 
is an irregular line between the parallels of 48° 
and 49°; southward it merges into and is con- 
tinuous with the central plains of Oregon, and 
thence extends to Salt Lake City, in Utah Terri- 
tory. 
The vegetation indicates a much drier climate 
than that of the western side of the Cascades. 
H 2 
