153 



permit, though many facts have been gathered bearing upon these 

 points. These will appear with the more complete catalogue when 

 the final report is published. 



The following meteorological notes were taken at Fort Pierre and 

 vicinity in the spring of 1855, and though very brief may prove of 

 some interest: 



March 7. — Weather fair; grass starting up fresh and green near 

 Black hills. Grasshoppers and ants quite active. Antelope returning 

 to the open prairies from their winter home in the north. 



March 8. — Weather very fine and warm. Saw common striped 

 snake, [Eutainia parietalis.) 



March 9. — SaAV red-headed woodpecker, {Melanerpes erythrocej^ha- 

 ??r.9, ) and in company with it a beautiful black glossy woodpecker 

 about the same size, [Melanerpes torquatns.) 



March 10. — Saw two fine plants on the south side of Bear Peak, 

 six hundred feet above the level prairie around it. One of them 

 Anemone patens, was in blossom, the other was just coming into 

 bloom. 



The ice broke up in the Missouri river March 6th, as far as Fort 

 Clark, lat. 47°. Then came several days of stormy weather, during 

 which the river was frozen over a second time so firm as to sustain 

 heavily loaded teams. The ice again broke up on the 22d for about 

 the same distance up the Missouri. At Fort Union the ice did not 

 yield until the 3d of April. 



Ajpril 9. — Four species of umbeliferous plants in bloom ; heavy 

 frost during the night, so that ice formed upon the little pools an inch 

 in thickness; grasshoppers quite active and abundant. 



April 10. — Cold ; some snow. 



Ajrril 11. — Fair weather ; a strong breeze blowing though quite 

 warm. A small species of Carex in blossom. Saw yellow-shafted 

 flicker, (CW«7:)fe9 a ?o'af ?/.§,) and meadow lark, [SturneJla neglecfa.) At 

 night the frogs commenced a gentle croaking, for the first time this 

 spring. 



Apiril 12. — Various kinds of insects quite abundant; common garter 

 snake, (E.parietaUs,) killdeer, [Charadrhis foc|'/er?65,) geese and ducks 

 abundant ; American elm (Ulmiis americana,) in full bloom. 



Ajrril 13. — Saw a large flock of swans, [Cygnus hucclnator ;) a beau- 

 tiful Ranunculus in bloom, {R. glaherrimus.) The long-billed curlew 

 (Nurnemus longirostris,) quite abundant running on the upland prairie. 



Ap}ril 16. — The 13-lined squirrel {Spermophilus triclecem lineatus,} 

 quite abundant on the high prairie. 



April 20. — Saw to-day, birds : wild geese, {Anser er?/^/ryojj«.§,) king- 

 bird, (Tyrannus crinifus,) robin redbreast, Turdus migratorius,) (a few 

 robins Avere seen near Fort Pierre, April 1st,) the meadow lark, flicker, 

 killdeer, turkey buzzard, {Ccdhartes aura,) mourning dove, {Ectopistes 

 carolinensis,) common cowbird, (Molothrus ^^ecom,) very abundant; 

 also a gull (Larus /ranMinii,) w^as seen on the river. The following- 

 plants were in bloom : Astragalus caryocarpus, Shepherdia argentea, a 

 species of Scdix, Populus angulata, and a fine bluebell, Mertensict 

 virginica. 



