EXPLORATION OF WESTERN MISSOURI IN 1854, 433 
the Smithsonian Institution for materials that will settle satisfactorily this per- 
plexing matter. Myson captured a number of insects, among which were 
several Papilio ajax; this species is numerous here, the papaw on which the 
larve feed being abundant. 
18th.— Rigged out a team and went on a small branch of the Petite Saline 
to fish. After following the stream three or four miles and wading a good deal 
in the disagreeable muddy water, we had to return without even seeing a single 
fish ; a sorry commencement in Missouri. We saw an abundance of the fol- 
lowing species of frogs: Rana pipens, R. fontinalis, R. palustris, R. halecina, 
R. sylvatica, and Hylodes gryllus. Shot a Canada goose and a number of 
small birds. White-fronted and Canada geese are here remarkably abundant ; 
they remain all winter and do much damage to the fall grain; one field that 
we saw, containing twenty acres of wheat, was quite ruined. 
19th—Went to Booneville; on the way we fished in a small brook and caught 
several interesting little fish—among them one beautiful species of Etheostoma, 
marked with bright blue and red bands. 
21st Went on the river bottom ; got one parrakect and a fine little sturgeon; 
caught a garter snake, which had a row of red spots on the side of the neck, 
between the scales, such as I never saw before. In the afternoon we visited 
“ Sallie’s Branch,” a small tributary of the Little Saline; water muddy and 
brackish; caught but few fish; among them, however, were two species of 
Pomotis that probably will prove new. Wild turkeys plenty; came near getting 
a shot at a fine old gobbler. I obtained to-day a Scotophis alleghaniensis, 11 
inches in length, the largest I ever saw; it was shot while basking in the top of 
a large oak, some 50 feet from the ground; there were two in company, appa- 
rently of equal size; the other escaped by crawling ina hole that was in the tree. 
22d.—A black boy brought me a living Alleghany black snake, which we 
released near the root of a tree. ‘The serpent, seeing that it was surrounded, 
commenced ascending the trunk, but before it got out of reach I pulled it down 
and removed it some 15 feet, when I again let it go; the snake finding itself at 
liberty, elevated its head and took a survey of the enemy’s position; retreat be- 
ing cut off by the crowd of spectators, it started at full speed for the tree, as- 
cended to the first horizontal branch, on which it ran out to the extremity, then 
elevating its body succeeded in reaching the next branch above, and so on until 
it had ascended over the small outer branches to the top. The ease and rapidity 
with which this snake climbed the tree proved that such a feat was nothing un- 
usual. In this instance the snake evidently took to the tree for the purpose of 
escape. This species (Scotophis alleghaniensis) is common among the bluffs 
along the Missouri river, im the timber only, while the blue racer ( Bascanion 
constrictor) was repeatedly found on the prairies a considerable distance from 
any timber; hence we infer that the latter is less strictly arboreal in its habits 
than the Scotophis alleghaniensis. I obtained here a most beautiful and un- 
usually colored specimen of Celuta amana (?) ;—also specimens of Leptophis 
estivus. Mr. Judson caught for me, a few days after we left here, an Elaps 
fulvus, (perhaps E. tenerus.). Is not this the most northern locality in which 
this beautiful southern serpent has been discovered? Shot a Vermivora penn- 
sylwanica and V. solitaria. ‘A few of the advance parties of Sylvicoline begin 
to make their appearance. 
25th.—Harly this morning we went on board the Michigan, a splendid large 
“lower river boat,”’ bound for Lexington, distance 125 miles, where we expect 
to arrive to-morrow noon. 
27th.—We have been three days on the boat and only 75 miles on our way; 
river low; steamer too large; said to be the largest that ever ascended the Mis- 
souri; and, judging.from the vexatious detentions on sand-bars, is likely to re- 
main the largest. 
28th.—Made eighteen miles to-day. Great numbers of geese on the islands, 
28 s 
