J. LL. Le Conte on Voleanic Springs in Southern California. 5 
and pumice: several of these mounds are arranged in an are of 
a circle, but the general direction is a little west of south. 
Having arrived thus far, and given our horses in charge to some 
of the Indians, the interpreter again endeavored to dissuade us 
from further exploration. He said that on approaching the 
springs, the steam from which was now distinctly seen, devils in 
the shape of large black birds rose from the ground, and descended 
with overwhelming force on the head of the rash adventurer: 
he stated that a tradition still existed among the Indians, of one 
Juan Lonquiss (Longecuisse? perhaps a “Crapaud” trader) who 
had met this dreadful fate, and asked us in a pathetic tone, how 
he could return to his town, if we too were sacrificed in this way. 
We replied, in substance, that devils had no power over us, and 
that we were stronger than they, and that probably they were . 
aware of that fact, and would not appear during our visit. 
his seemed very blasphemous to their ears, and the whole © 
escort suddeuly dropped behind, leaving us to our fate. 
Advancing towards the place, whence the steam issued, we 
found in the muddy plain numerous circular holes containing 
boiling mud, and exhaling a naphtha-like odor. Many of them 
are encrusted with inspissated mud, forming cones 3-4 feet high, 
from the apex of which proceed mingled vapors of water, sal-am- 
moniac and sulphur. Four of them eject steam and clear saline 
water, with great violence, resembling in appearance the jet from 
the pipe of a high-pressure engine. The falling spray around these 
has formed a group of acicular stalagmites, composed of aragonite 
with a small quantity of silica and_some saline matter: many of 
these stalagmites are tubular in form. Another spring was a large 
basin filled intermittingly to overflowing with foam and clear 
saline water: around the edge were botryoidal masses of aragon- 
ite, like that forming needles around the cones. Near the cones, 
in little fissures, were crusts of sal-ammoniac,* some o: 
= 
* The saline crusts having been subsequently lost, I cannot be cer- 
tain that 1 Ne ey eccyoetac, sod tay tote Cie to that salt from the 
i € th ei! - ta ste 
i 
