SOURCE OP ST. Peter's river. 141 



interspersed with many small lakes and lagoons. These 

 ridges are not more than ten or fifteen feet in height, their 

 sides are so steep as to make them sometimes difficult of 

 ascent for horses. The country is almost destitute of timber 

 until within a few miles of the Elkheart, when we entered 

 the river bottom, in which we found a noble forest of 

 oak, black and white walnut, wild cherry, beech, poplar, 

 ash, bass or linden, white and sugar maple, &c. the soil upon 

 which it grows appearing to be of the very best quality, 

 but somewhat wet. Among the plants observed upon the 

 prairie land, Mr. Say noticed a lupin with blue flowers, in 

 full bloom and in great abundance; a fine cypripedium, 

 and the wild flax, which grew in great plenty. Some of 

 the small lakes or ponds are surrounded exclusively with 

 a thick growth of white cedars, none of which are seen 

 elsewhere, or intermixed with any of the forest trees on 

 the more elevated ground. One of the most curious cha- 

 racters of the prairie, was the number of conical depres- 

 sions in the earth, resembling the sink holes in the neigh- 

 bourhood of St. Louis ; they are from eight to ten or more 

 feet in depth, and from twenty to thirty in diameter. They 

 remind the geologist of the numerous funnel-formed holes 

 which are observable in gypsum formations, and particularly 

 in the muriatiferous gypsum of the vicinity of Bex in Swit- 

 zerland, Moutiers in Savoy, &c. No rocks appear in situ 

 any where along these prairies, but they are covered with 

 granitic boulders, bearing evident marks of attrition. The 

 soil is likewise thickly studded with water-worn pebbles, 

 and is therefore far inferior in quality to that over which 

 we passed the preceding day. The grass of these prairies 

 is generally short and dry. 



One of the greatest inconveniences we encountered at 

 this stage of our journey, and which was felt still more 



