36 EXPEDITION TO THJi 



appears therefore that this little animal inhabits prairies as 

 well as woods. While pursuing pigeons, Mr. Scott t^ot a 

 Falco Columbarius. The country was extremely dry, 

 there were no streams of running water. The prairies 

 were covered in a number of places with saline efflores- 

 cences, but no salt springs were observed. On the 2d of 

 August the latitude of our noon encampment was 48° 2' 

 39", and on the 4th, it was 48° 39' 45". 



On the 5th, we travelled fifteen miles before breakfast, 

 and reached Red river, which we crossed in a barge, op- 

 posite to the settlement called Pembina, where we remain- 

 ed four da3^s. 



This completed a journey of two hundred and fifty -six 

 miles, performed in eleven days, averaging therefore about 

 twenty three miles per day. Had it not been for our meet- 

 ing with the buffalo, and with the party of Indians, we 

 should scarcely have experienced on that part of our jour- 

 ney any thing to which we could look back with interest. 

 The dull monotony of a journey upon prairie land never 

 appeared to us so fatiguing. No trees were to be seen ex- 

 cept those that fringed the water courses, these consisted 

 principally of several varieties of oak, of the white, and 

 some red elm, linden, gray ash, red-maple, cotton-wood, 

 aspen, hackberry, ironwood, hop hornbeam, and white and 

 red pine. On Red Lake we were told that the trees con- 

 sist of fir, sugar-maple, and birch. The country is very 

 flat, and remarkably deficient in water. There are no val- 

 leys, and but few brooks, streams, or even springs. 



The streams that enter Red river from its source to the 

 49th degree of north latitude are, on its right bank, Buffalo, 

 Wild-rice, Plum, Sand-hill, Red Fork, Swamp, and the 

 " Two rivers ;" on its left bank, Pse, Shienne, Elm, Goose, 

 Turtle, Saline, Park, and Pembina. Of these it may be ob- 

 served, that some confusion exists as to the names of the 



