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Ex. Doc. No. 41. 397 



sent to shoot some of them, hut his gun had got so wet during the 

 day it would not fire. 



We noticed to-day the pink sensitive plant (schrankia uncinata) 

 of most delicious fragrance, so that my hat, into which I had 

 thrust some specimens, was pleasantly perfumed. With this plant, 

 we also found a white variety, (darlingtonia brachypoda,) the 

 flowers and leaves are smaller than the plant first mentioned, and 

 has no odor. 



■ Late in tlie evening several of the volunteer companies came 

 •up; they said they w^ere suffering for want of provisions; as the 



-commissary waggons had got on too far in advance, they sent for- 

 ward to have some of them return. Eut we were all suffering 

 from a cause that produced in some of us feelings more unpleasant 



-than Lunger; the blowfly had" peopled our blankets with living 

 masses of corruption; it is said that these insects were never before 

 seen so far out in the prairies. 



Friday J 10th, — It is still raining, the clouds are chasing each 

 other rapidly across the sky, and now and then the rain pours 

 heavily down. • We remained in camp some time waiting- for the 

 rain to stop. We thus lost several hours, but we found travelling 

 in the prairies rather increased the chafing of our animals. We 

 noticed to-day some swallow*s, (hirundo bicolor,) also the turtle 



dove, the little quail, the blue 

 king fisher (alcedo alcyon.) 



) and the 



We collected some lamb's quarter and had it cooked, and no- 

 -ticed along the road side the purslane, (portulaca oleracea;) this 



answer for the table of the prairie voyngeur. Our 



day's journey was 16 miles. 



i:"aturday llth. — We were up this morning at 3^ o'clock, and 

 ready for the start. Our arrangement of mosquito bars was 

 broken in upon last night by a heavy shovv'er of rain that forced us 



to retre?t to our tents. 



After marching three miles, we reached Cow creek; it was very 

 difficult to cross on account of the miry bottom, but w-e got safely 

 over without great delay. Before we had proceeded far, we 

 caught sight of the ''plum buttes," bearing N. 20° W. We passed 



through a large 



(Arctomys Ludoviciana;) 



although now deserted, there were fresh signs of the dogs havin 

 thrown out some earth from their excavations. Last night's raia 

 had, doubtless, forced them to leave their houses. In the ponds 

 1h_at had settled on the plain, we saw several craw fish, and the 

 crickets were gathered around some ant hills. As our wac^ons 

 moved along the road, the lizards (lacerta lineatus) were darling 

 rapidly along the ruts in front of it, anxious to escape being 

 -crushed. The common land turtle (testudo clausa) were also very 

 abundant. As we got quite near the Plum buttes, we caught sight 

 of the buffaloes, (bos americanus,) and some five or six of our 

 party immediately gave chase. The buffaloes ran around in a 

 circle of three-fourths of a mile in diaueter; so those who were 

 near the centre of this circle had an excellent view of the chase, 



Bolster nistnlc ^.xrar.^ ♦k^ — ^,r „ ,,^^a r^T.A ^« c-„^« "u^a ♦!,,, r,l^o_ 



