184 Audubon's Western Journal 



an antelope, three geese and two Sandhill cranes 

 (I am sure different from ours) so that we have 

 feasted luxuriously. Many thousand geese are 

 seen daily, and we are travelling on cheerfully, 

 making our twenty-five miles with ease, and camp- 

 ing by half-past four or five o'clock. After supper 

 we sit round our camp fires for an hour or so, and 

 then turn in for the night, to be ready for the 

 early start on the morrow. 



The nights here are in great contrast to the days, 

 and are exceedingly cold, for all the icy mountains 

 send their damp air down, as the sun sinks behind 

 them. 



Following down the San Joaquin southwest and 

 west, we came to the river of the lakes, and stood 

 off northwest (its general course) for nearly two 

 days, but were so impeded in our progress by the 

 bull-rushes that we turned aside to a clump of 

 trees, where we expected to find water and grass ; 

 but not succeeding, returned to the river, about 

 eight miles, and with great difficulty reached the 

 edge of it for water at dusk — cold, tired, and 

 regretting our lost time. We resolved, neverthe- 

 less, to steer off from the rushes next day. This is 

 the locality from which, I suppose, the valley takes 

 its name, "tulare" meaning "rush," this plant 

 taking here the place of all others. 



[No date-l Today I ran on to a herd of about 

 a thousand elk; so close was I that I could see their 



