Ex. Doc. No. 41. 405 



14-5 inches in depth; tail covered with short hair, a little L„„ 

 in length than one half the length of the body; body about 6 inches" 

 in length. The pouch is covered with short white hair, and capa- 

 ble of being turned inside out. This, I think, was a young one; 

 hence the slight diiferences in the size and the color of its legs, and 

 ' the tail being covered %vith hair. 



Captain Turner, of the 1st dragoons, brought mfe a (ortygome'tra 



carolinus;) these birds are in plenty along the' Arkansas bottom; 



•this one was caught after a short chase, for it flew a short distance 



only, when it appeared to be too much fatigued, or too much 



bewildered to rise again. 



OJ the plants that occur between the^ Arkansas crossing and 

 Bent's fort, I cannot do better than refer to the list appended to 

 this report, in which they are arrang^ed in the family to which 

 they_ belong, and the locality mentioned in which they were 



obtained. 



As one approaches Bent's fort, he meets' with many varieties of 

 artemisia, with the obione canescens, and a plant which is ex- 

 tremely useful to the Mexicans as a substitute for soap, by them 

 called the palmillo, by us Adams needle, or Spanish bayonet; its 

 botanical name is the yucca angustifolia. We al.so have the 

 prairie gourd, (cucumis perennis;) that is abundant also from Bent's 

 fort to Santa Fe. We have the bartonia, several varieties of 

 -solanas, several varieties of Oenothera, the martynia, the cleome, 

 the salicornia, ipomea, and erigonuras. Amongst the trees, several, 

 varieties of populus; amongst which are the populus canadensis 



and p. monolifera; several varieties of salix, and the plum and 

 cherry. > 



Amongst the animals, we have the panther, (felis concolor;) the 

 •wild cat, (felis rufa;) the white wolf, (canis nubilus;) the prairie 

 wolf, (canis latrans;) the silver-grey fox, (canis cinerea argentus;) 

 and the prairie fox, (canis velox;) prairie dog, (arctomys ludo- 

 viciana;) the gopher, (pseudostoma brissarius;) the antelope, (dicra- 



nocerus furcifer;) the 



) 



• 



vespertitia and species of ground-squirrel; it is said that there are 

 three different varieties. Along the Arkansas, where there is suffi- 

 cient cover, one finds the red deer, (cevus virgin.,) one also finds 

 the badger, (taxus Tabradoricus;) .and the polecat, fmephitis 

 Amer.) The Indians at the fort showed me a racoon (procyoa * 



lotor) skin, they said had been obtained in the neighborhood. 



Amongst the birds, the turkey vulture, (cathartes atra;) wild 

 turkey, (meleagris gallipavo;) quail, (ortix virgina;) red-headed 

 jvoodpecker, (picus erythrocephalus;) meadow lark, (sturnella 

 ludoviciana;) night hawk, (chorodeiles virgins;) cow-birds, (molo- 

 thrus pecoris;) dove, (ectopistes carolin;) flickers, (picus au- 

 ratus;) raven, (corvus corone;) and the railtailed buzzard, (batco 

 boreahs.) There has also been found on the Arkansas, withia 

 eight miles of Bent's fort, a singular and but little known bifd^ 

 called the pasana, (geococyx viaticus.) 



